Prince Lungalomndeni Zulu will spend a week behind bars after his bail application was remanded in a fresh multimillion-rand mineral theft case in the Richards Bay magistrate’s court on Thursday.
Zulu, who is facing charges in a separate R26m mineral theft case involving Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), appeared on new allegations regarding theft of zircon and titanium mineral sand valued at about R7m on May 31 2023.
The state opposed bail, citing Zulu’s pending Empangeni matter of a similar nature.
Prosecutors requested a postponement to next Thursday, saying an advocate from the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) assigned to handle the matter would only be available then.
Zulu’s lawyer Wilba Zungu objected to the delay.
“We were made to understand the prosecutor who is before court would deal with the bail application.”
Despite the objection, the magistrate granted the state’s request.
Zulu is no stranger to the courts in matters involving theft of minerals belonging to RBM, KwaZulu-Natal’s biggest taxpayer.
He, and eight others, including businessmen Benedict Madumele, Richard Malinga, Craig Hinana and Alex Zungu, have an ongoing case in Empangeni where they are charged with stealing unprocessed minerals worth more than R26m from RBM.
The group is accused of supplying stolen zircon and titanium to the Southway Freight warehouse in Isipingo, Durban, with Zulu allegedly linked to the operation through his company, Umshiniwam Enterprise.
In that matter Zulu, who was among the royal family faction that supported Prince Simakade Zulu’s challenge to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s throne, was arrested on October 5 2024 at the KwaZiphethe royal residence in KwaNongoma by members of Operation Vala Umgodi, a police task team targeting illegal mining in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Zulu was out on R50,000 bail. Several of his co-accused were also out on bail ranging from R5,000 to R50,000, while one suspect is still at large.
In their December 2024 appearance, court proceedings almost descended into chaos when he, and several accused, threatened a Sunday Times photographer for taking their pictures after a ruling by magistrate Vincent Hlatshwayo allowing the media to broadcast the proceedings.
The group threatened to destroy the photographer’s equipment, saying it had not been communicated to them that media were present.
Court officials eventually intervened before Hlatshwayo entered the courtroom. He later apologised for a lack of communication about the media application but upheld his decision to allow coverage in the public interest.
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