Hawks nail Limpopo businessman with four‑year sentence for R1.3m precious stones theft | The Citizen
After years of delays, the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) team in Polokwane has nailed businessman Manamalala Stephen Phasha – sentenced to four years in prison for stealing R1.3 million worth of crushed stones from a Limpopo Road project.
The decade-long criminal justice process finally reached its conclusion following what the Hawks called a “meticulous investigation.”
The sentence handed down by the Sekhukhune Regional Court on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, brings to a close a matter that originated from the unlawful removal of crushed stones intended for road construction in Ga-Nkwana Village, Sekhukhune, in 2011.
The matter was initially reported to the Road Agency Limpopo (RAL) following concerns regarding the removal of crushed stones left at the road construction site.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Avele Fumba said RAL subsequently opened a case, which was referred to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team for investigation.
“Through a detailed and sustained investigation, Hawks investigators established that Manamalala Stephen Phasha (65), who was operating through Phasha General Trading CC, had removed crushed stones valued at approximately R1.3 million without the required authorisation or compliance with the applicable processes of RAL.”
Phasha was arrested by the Hawks on 1 June 2016 and was subsequently convicted on 13 May 2024.
Fumba said the matter remained under the criminal justice process until the final sentencing on 12 August 2026.
“The court sentenced Phasha to four years’ direct imprisonment for theft of crushed concrete stones. He was further declared unfit to possess a firearm.”
Limpopo Provincial Head of the DPCI, Major General (Adv) Gopz Govender, commended the investigators for their perseverance, investigative skills and commitment to seeing the matter through to its conclusion.
“This sentence is a clear demonstration that complex commercial crime investigations require patience, precision and determination. Our investigators remained committed to the matter and carefully followed the evidence and ensured that the investigation was brought to a successful conclusion,” Govender said.