A Mamre man who placed bomb scare calls is set to go on trial as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has decided to prosecute him.
Ferdinand Fortuin, 49, is set to face an array of charges after he threatened to bomb the Bellville Taxi Rank and a City of Cape Town municipal building in November last year.
The incident on 11 November 2024 saw a municipal building being evacuated as commuters in Bellville reported there had been a bomb scare at the taxi rank.
At the time of his arrest, Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, said a multi-disciplinary team comprising of the Hawks' Crimes Against The State, Western Cape Crime Intelligence, the Special Task Force and SAPS Bomb Disposal Unit investigated the threat and subsequently arrested a 49-year-old man for contravention the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorism and Related Activities Act.
Vukubi explains: "On 11 November 2024, telephone calls were allegedly made to the Community Service Centre at the Bellville SAPS by an unknown male who threatened that explosive devices were placed at the Department of Water and Sanitation in Bellville, the Transnet Building in Bellville South and Bellville Taxi Rank.
"The same threat was later made telephonically to the Road Traffic Emergency toll-free number on the same day."
He says during the investigation the cellphone number which was used in the commission of the offence was revealed and it was found that after the calls were placed, the simcard was placed in a different handset.
Vukubi adds: "A suspect was subsequently identified and a warrant of arrest was issued. On Friday, 15 November 2024, a search and seizure operation was conducted in Mamre where several evidential material were seized."
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Fortuin was charged for engaging in terrorist activity and the case was transferred to the Bellville Regional Court and Fortuin is set to appear on 24 April
Ntabazalila says: "Fortuin is charged with four counts of contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act 33 of 2004 (POCDATARA) and for contravention of the Explosives Act 26 of 1956.
The Deputy Director of Public Prosecution in the Western Cape, Advocate Mervyn Menigo, told the court the case was previously postponed for the National Director of Public Prosecutions to authorise Fortuin’s prosecution on the POCDATARA charges.
"The authorisation was provided to the court and attached to the charge sheet before the matter was transferred."
He says on the day the calls were placed over 3000 people were evacuated from the taxi rank while over 500 people working at the Water and Sanitation and Transnet buildings were also evacuated.
He explains revealed while the calls were a hoax Fortuin could face a 15-year jail straf if found guilty.
Ntabazalila says: "Although the threats proved to be a hoax, the NPA views the charges in a serious light as they resulted in panic amongst the public and economic disruption at the three sites.
"The Legislature has criminalised this type of conduct in POCDATARA and in the Criminal Law Amendment Act has prescribed a minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment for a first offender. The NPA will not hesitate to prosecute conduct of this nature to the full extent that the law allows. "
