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It sounds just like the plot of a Hollywood movie. A gang of crooks, responsible for the theft of more than 280 automobiles, is brought down by a courageous undercover policeman, who risks his life posing as one of the gang.
The setting is Johannesburg, South Africa.
The main characters include the two Seedat brothers, Yusef (aka Ushi) and Mohammed (aka Abla); their wives, Rashida Seedat and Anisa Fakar; the Seedat brothers’ 62yearold mother; Katija Pailwam, owner of a driving school, and her husband Faried; and Detective Inspector Merwe van Rensburg of the police vehicle branch.
The story opens in March 1995. The Seedat brothers are suspected of running an eight year operation, buying stolen cars and transporting them for sale across the border. They live in modest homes, but drive expensive cars. Police suspect the men own properties in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The two men regularly drive stolen vehicles across the borders. They are masters of false identity, secure in the knowledge that they can buy their way out of any trouble.
Van Rensburg has been aware of the activities of the Seedat family and friends for years but has thus far been unable to obtain the needed evidence to put them away. After much pleading, he has finally convinced his boss, Superintendent Johan Rheede, to allow him to go undercover. Rheede sets about manufacturing a “legend” about van Rensburg, letting the community “know” that van Rensburg has been thrown off the force for corruption. Details of van Rensburg’s supposed corruption are entered into the computer system, showing that he is under investigation by the Department of Justice. Even van Rensburg’s family is left in the dark. Operation Mynah is under way.
With great difficulty, Van Rensburg convinces the members of the “Muslim mafia,” as the group is known, that he really has gone over the edge. They have known him for years as an incorruptible police officer, one who has unfailingly refused their repeated offers of bribery. Eventually, he is partially successful: they allow him into the gang because they value his knowledge and police connections, but they never really quite trust him.
His new “job” is varied. He buys drugs, commits check fraud and buys numerous stolen and hijacked cars for his new bosses. Although he participates in the gang’s activities, he is careful to avoid any involvement in cases that involve bloodshed or violence. Unbeknownst to his new “friends,” all of the cars van Rensburg is involved with are eventually returned to their rightful owners. Using sophisticated surveillance measures, van Rensburg and the police department are able to obtain phone taps and videos of the gang at work.
Van Rensburg becomes a social outcast among his friends and colleagues, none of whom is aware of his position. His personal life is increasingly at risk because of growing rumors that he is working undercover. When his police superiors become aware that the gang has placed a one million rand bounty on his head, Operation Mynah is officially terminated and van Rensburg is pulled out.
At midnight, elite officers staged simultaneous raids on several houses, rounding up all but one of the 24 suspects. The one remaining suspect turns herself in the next day.
Postscript: Authorities have set up a special maximum-security court to hear the cases. Trial is expected to start in January 1997.
© Copyright 1997 Alikim Media