The woman is expected to be sentenced in May.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
A pensioner has been convicted on charges of dealing in drugs and money laundering in the Khayelitsha Regional Court in Cape Town.
Grace Nomazizi Kunjana, 67, was convicted earlier this week after pleading guilty to the charges against her.
Kunjana was arrested in March 2011 by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks).
The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, said members of the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) arrested Kunjana after they received information about mandrax being held at an address in Kenilworth.
“Information was operationalised, and the premises were searched. The accused was found on the premises, and upon searching, 24,719 mandrax tablets to the value of over R1 million were discovered concealed in potato bags,” Vukubi said.
Investigators also followed up on information after it was found that Kunjana was renting a property in Wynberg.
“At the premises, 262,818 mandrax tablets valued at over R11 million as well as 2.1kg of crystal methamphetamine (tik) valued at R262,500 were seized. Furthermore, cash to the amount of R1,823,000 that was also concealed in potato bags was seized,” Vukubi said.
Kunjana was ultimately convicted on two counts of dealing in drugs and 14 counts of money laundering.
She is expected to be sentenced on May 14.
IOL