High life and empire of gold ‘kingpin’ starts crumbling

A large house in Khutsong Extension 4 stands out like a castle among the four-roomed RDP houses that surround it.

The house is fitted with CCTV cameras, high walls and a security gate. The owner, Lerato Bathebeng, one of the three partners of alleged illegal mining kingpin in Carletonville, Bethuel Eddie Ngobeni, calls the house her comfort zone when boasting about it on social media platform TikTok.

But this may no longer be the case for her. Last week, the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) secured a preservation order, the first step before the state can auction the house along with luxury vehicles and furniture, said to have been acquired from the proceeds of crime.

The NPA believes her home was bought with money from an illegal mining operation run by her husband from which he built a fancy lifestyle for two SA-based partners and business associates.

Bathebeng, 37, was arrested in September 2023 for unduly benefiting from the proceeds of crime. She, together with Ngobeni’s other partner Poppy Mathongwane, 35, are currently out on R2,000 bail.

Since the seizure of luxury cars linked to the syndicate in October 2022, neighbours said Mathongwane now used taxis.

Bathebeng, who runs a catering business in Khutsong, shows off her lavish lifestyle on social media where she poses with bottles of champagne, her red-styled kitchen with a TV monitor mounted on the wall and Carol Boyes crockery peeping through in some content.

Around 2020/21 Bathebeng posted a number of videos on TikTok and in one of them, she wished her partner a happy birthday, referring to him as “my king”. In the other posts, she poses with bottles of champagne while he sips whiskey in another video.

In another one, Bathebeng can be seen dancing in front of a Range Rover, which has since been attached by the AFU. The other cars linked to her husband which have been seized include a Nissan Navara and Madza CX-3.

A VW Amarok, VW T-Roc, Ford Ranger and an Audi S3 belonging to Ngobeni and his wives were attached in 2022.

The six alleged illegal mining kingpins – Ngobeni, 38, Leon Magwaca, 26, Thabo Prince Sechele, 34, Moseki Sechele, 28, Dumisani Moyo, 35 and Khudzai Mashaya, 45 –face seven counts of dealing in precious metals and three counts of fraud and money laundering.

Magwaca’s partner, Suzan Duba, was also arrested in September 2023 for unduly benefiting from the proceeds of crime. Four of the accused –Ngobeni, Magwaca, Moyo and Mashaya – are also facing charges of being in the country illegally.

It immerged in court in 2023, during his appeal for bail, that Ngobeni had assumed a fake identity using the name Bethuel Eddie Ngobeni. He claimed to have been born in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, on February 8 1984 but police told the court that he was from Chipinda, a small village in Zimbabwe.

Investigating officer Col Kgomotso Galetlole said Ngobeni’s real name is Zingaiyi Diliwayo and he has another partner in Zimbabwe.

An immigration officer traced Ngobeni’s alleged mother in Mpumalanga with the maiden name Ngobeni and she denied being his mother or ever helping him obtain an identity document.

The department of home affairs immigration officer testified that Thandi Ngobeni (Mashiso) has a son named Bethuel Tumelo Ngobeni and he was born sometime in 1985.

Moyo’s identity was also in question. He claimed to have been born and raised in Welkom, Free State, but an immigration officer told the court that the hospital Moyo claims he was born at only opened four years after he was born.

The officer said there were no records at the school he claimed to have attended and that his identity document was obtained fraudulently.

The state also moved to have Moyo’s citizenship cancelled.

On October 2 2022, Sowetan spoke to a woman at one of Ngobeni’s houses in Khutsong and then 34-year-old woman identified herself as his wife. She said she feared her husband’s illegal activities would come back to haunt them.

“Sometimes he would bring bags full of gold and I would warn him to stop because he’d get us in trouble. He’d tell me not to worry because nothing is going to happen.”

Among assets seized is a house and cars belonging to Nikiwe Qinene. She lived in Evaton West and her cars included a Range Rover Evoque, Nissan Navara and a MazdaCX-5.

The Nissan Navara was previously owned by Michael Matole, who according to the NPA was Ngobeni’s employee. The Mazda CX-5 was previously owned by Ngobeni.

Ngobeni’s neighbours in Khutsong told Sowetan Ngobeni’s illegal activities were an open secret that had been known for years.

“He started this when he was in his early to mid-20s. We knew this because it is a very common business in Khutsong. Every area has its known kingpins who work with zama zamas and coordinate dealings. Before him there was another kingpin who was arrested. He then took over from that guy.“

His lifestyle grew increasingly lavish. He started building houses, driving fancy cars and we know he has more than two partners and he builds houses for each of them, ” said a resident who asked not to be named.

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za