Warrant of arrest issued for cop allegedly linked to two Westbury gangs
26 June 2019
The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has issued a warrant of arrest for a police officer after he failed to appear in court on Wednesday.
Warrant Officer Wynand Steyn, 45, was expected to appear in court on Wednesday, alongside 10 alleged members of the Fast Guns gang.
While Steyn was not present, his colleague, Sergeant Tom Keet, 42, was. Both officers are stationed at Sophiatown police station.
The two, together with four of their co-accused, including alleged Fast Guns leader Sheldon Keenan Ebrahim, 34, are all out on bail for the alleged murder of Bradley Sauls.
Judge Seun Moshidi upheld Steyn and co-accused Martin Maarman's arrest warrants until their next appearance.
Steyn, Ebrahim, Keet, Maarman, 57, Dennis Oliphant, 26, Desmond Oliphant, 38, Lincoln Neff, 22, Ismail Dajee, 56, Raymond Mackett, 41, Taiton Charles Palmer, 73, Andy Jacobs, 30, and Elister Pailman 45, are facing charges of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two of corrupt activity relating to a public officer, defeating the ends of justice, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, intimidation and aiding and abetting criminal activities committed for, or at the direction of or in association with any criminal gang.
According to the indictment, all the accused, except for Steyn and Keet, are known to be members of the Fast Guns in Westbury.
It is alleged that on July 24, 2018, Royce Marco Palmer, a member of the Fast Guns was murdered at Newclare Primary School in Westbury.
Sauls, 20, who was not a gang member, was then identified as the person who allegedly killed Palmer.
Desmond and Dennis Oliphant as well as Neff allegedly accosted Sauls on Griffiths Street in Westbury and punched him, dragged him along the ground, hit him with an iron bar and brick on the head and stabbed him on both sides of his upper body.
Ebrahim then arrived on the scene, whereupon Sauls was apparently loaded into his vehicle.
Sauls was driven to the corner of Florida and Kretchner streets also in Westbury, where Ismail, Maarman, Mackett and Palmer also allegedly assaulted and drove over him.
A firearm was then allegedly brought to the scene, where Sauls was shot several times. He died on the scene.
As Sauls' body lay on the ground, Steyn and Keet allegedly arrived in their marked police vehicle. Mackett allegedly handed the firearm to Keet who then accompanied Mackett to his house and later emerged from the house carrying a transparent bag filled with cash and placed it in the police vehicle.
Keet and Steyn later cordoned off the crime scene, after sitting in their vehicle for a while.
The case was postponed until August 16 for pre-trial.
News24, however, is aware that Steyn was unable to appear on Wednesday as he is in custody awaiting his bail application at the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court in another gang-related matter.
He was rearrested last week, while out on R15 000 bail, for his alleged involvement with Varados gang leader Leroy "Finch" Brown and Christopher "Pitso" Charles.
The Varados and Fast Guns are rivals.
It is alleged that on April 21, 2016, Steyn and a police reservist stationed at Sophiatown police station were travelling in a marked police vehicle when Brown and Charles jumped out, opened fire and killed Reagan Jacobs at Agatha flats in Newclare. Two other men were injured.
Jacobs was reported to be a member of the Fast Guns.
Last week, Warrant Officer Vincent Saunders, who is investigating both cases, told the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court that he had secured a warrant of arrest for the police reservist.
