ANC bigwig nabbed in abalone bust

An abalone haul of nearly 2 500kg has landed the ANC Overberg region treasurer in hot water, leading to his arrest in Hermanus.

Simphiwe Kalolo was spotted by members of the police's marine unit in the early hours of Sunday morning, said Hermanus station commissioner Senior Superintendent Pindelwa Mavakala. He tried to escape in an ANC-branded car, but was finally pulled over in the Voëlklip area in Hermanus.

News of Kalolo's arrest spread fast on Monday when he was nabbed, allegedly with nearly 2 500 shucked abalone worth about R390 000 in plastic bags, in a car plastered with ANC branding, including a poster of Jacob Zuma. The car, which was confiscated by the police, is apparently owned by Cape Agulhas municipal manager Reynold Stevens.

Until this week Kalolo, 27, earned R30 000 a month as strategic adviser to Overberg district mayor Maurencia Gillion, but he was axed after the arrest.

Kalolo appeared in the Hermanus Magistrate's Court this week and is out on R10 000 bail. The case was postponed to May 18.

He lives in an RDP house in the largely informal settlement of Masakhane, on the outskirts of the seaside village of Gansbaai.

Perlemoen poaching is rife in the area and many of the young men in Masakhane are divers. Some are prepared to swim all the way out to Dyer Island, braving sharks along the way, to where perlemoen is easy to find.

Perlemoen is sold to gangsters who exchange it for ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine with Chinese Triads. Ephedrine is the key ingredient in manufacturing tik. Perlemoen is highly sort after as an aphrodisiac in the Far East.

One of Kalolo's neighbours commented about the ANC leader: "He always wears nice clothing, very nice clothing, he is a rich man who is always partying and has lots of women."

An ANC official in the area, who did not want to be named, said Kalolo was a very confident "party animal" who appeared to have many girlfriends. "He has lots of girlfriends, only wears branded clothes and is often in Cape Town, going to pubs and clubs. He loves to spend money and the man loves to party."

The official said the arrest was a surprise and had damaged the ANC's reputation in the area.