JOHANNESBURG - Police uncovered a recycling syndicate that illegally bought printing products from government staff and sold them back to government, Tshwane metro police said on Friday.
Commissioner Console Tleane said a joint operation by Tshwane metro police and central Pretoria Crime Intelligence followed information on Thursday that led to a paper recycling company in Schoeman street in the central business district.
Tleane said government officials from the transport, health and justice departments allegedly stole cartridges and printing paper from their offices and sold them at the recycling business in the CBD or at another recycling site on the corner of Skinner and Kotze streets.
These “front” businesses would then sell to suppliers who then sold the goods back to government.
Police were following leads that there may be a third site where the goods were sold and also that the criminals might have been exporting some of the goods.
Four men, aged 23 to 35, were arrested at a rented townhouse in Sinoville at around 3pm on Thursday. Police discovered some of the stolen goods in the garage.
More arrests could be made soon, said Tleane.
The men would appear before the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court on Monday, he said.

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