SA: Officials in cahoots with criminals - claim

It has been claimed that some customs officials working for the SA Revenue Service (Sars) at OR Tambo International Airport are working with syndicates that target people arriving in the country.

These allegations come after the murder of Eric Lerata ,43,, a nuclear services general manager at the Nuclear Energy Authority of South Africa.

Lerata was gunned down outside his home in Ibis Street as he arrived back from a two-week trip to France.

Lerata's driver, who had picked him up at the airport, escaped unharmed, but was treated for shock.

Police suspect the pair may have been followed from the airport.

A man who lives about 100m from Lerata's home said he found airline baggage stickers outside his house.

It was unclear whether they were connected to the murder, but he handed them to officers on the scene.

Tosin Oyekanmi, who worked with Lerata when he was employed at Columbus Stainless in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, said he enjoyed working with him.

"Eric was a hard and dedicated worker who was always full of smiles.

"I also knew Eric as a dedicated father. My deepest condolences to the family and children he has left behind," he said.

Oyekanmi said the incident was similar to an attack that happened to another friend of his about a month ago.

"People are robbed of all their belongings at gunpoint when they are about to drive into their driveways.

"They are being tailed from the airport.

"The syndicate operates from the airport and some airport officials are involved because in some cases, the robbers have confronted their victims with some specific details (about what they're looking for)," he claimed.

Oyekanmi speculated that the Sars declaration form, which passengers have to fill in upon arriving in South Africa, was used to identify targets.

He said passengers were required to fill in their physical address, which could lead robbers straight to their victim's home.

Ward councillor Arnold van Niekerk said that Lerata was an active member of the community who regularly attended community policing forum meetings and block braais.

"Eric was active in the community, everyone knew him."

He said the community was angered by the murder.

Van Niekerk said that this was the second violent incident in the area this month.

A man was seriously injured during an attack at his home recently.

He said Lerata's funeral service would take place at the Pretoria North City Hall at 9am on Saturday.

Police spokesperson Inspector Paul Ramaloko said there had been no arrests.

He said police did not have proper records of people being victimised or attacked when arriving back from the airport.

Ramaloko called on people who suspected that to be the case to come forward and report those details to police.

Sars spokesperson Yolisa Pikie said that all people entering the country had to fill in the declaration form.

Sars officials were the only people with access to that information.

He said people entering the country were required to supply their personal details and declare the amount of cash they were carrying and the custom value of goods they may have bought while abroad.

Pikie could not comment on allegations that Sars officials may be involved with syndicates targeting people whose information they obtained at the airport.

He said that police and personnel from the Department of Agriculture were also present when their officials worked with these forms. "They don't have access to those documents, but they are there," he said.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click...

Date Posted: Wednesday 18-Jul-2007
Could we please not use this politically-correct names if we can avoid them? "O R Tambo airport" is a totally meaningless name, naming an airport after a dead person who has never contributed anything to the country's infrastructure, let alone an airport, is just downright stupid. Johannesburg airport will do just fine, thanks.

adrianastuijt@knid.nl
Dokkum
the Netherlands