Bellville: The Hawks’ National Priority Violent Crime team in Bellville has re-arrested Busie Linda Dyani, aged 50, following a warrant issued due to her failure to appear in court. Dyani, previously serving as the Mfuleni South African Police Service (SAPS) Media Liaison Officer, was initially embroiled in a legal controversy stemming from allegations involving a fraudulent firearm licence.
According to South African Government News Agency, on 6 May 2019, while on duty and in full police uniform, Dyani visited a registered firearms dealer in Stellenbosch. She allegedly presented a false firearm licence to acquire a Musgrave Hunting rifle, an item she reportedly purchased on 9 April 2019 for R9000. The dealer, noticing inconsistencies as the licence was issued to a security company while the purchase was for a hunting rifle, raised suspicions, prompting an escalation of the matter to the Hawks for further investigation.
The investigation revealed that Dyani had misrepresented the security company, claiming she was the responsible person for the firearm. This led to her initial arrest and court appearance in Stellenbosch on 9 May 2019. Further inquiries implicated Makhenke Sokoyi, aged 39, as the individual who furnished Dyani with the false firearm licence.
The trial, which began on 6 July 2021 at the Stellenbosch Regional Court, saw Dyani failing to attend subsequent proceedings. She was recently located in the Eastern Cape and apprehended on Wednesday. Following her arrest, Dyani appeared at the East London Magistrates Court on Thursday and has since been transported back to Cape Town. She is scheduled to appear in the Paarl Regional Court on Monday.
Meanwhile, Sokoyi remains in custody on an unrelated charge.