Police Minister Bheki Cele, accompanied by Western Cape top boss Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court where Yanga ‘Bara’ Nyalara made his first appearance on Monday.
Yanga ‘Bara’ Nyalara deemed flight risk
In a statement, the police ministry welcomed the decision taken by the Cape Town court to remand the 30-year-old suspect in custody until his next appearance after it was determined that not only is he a flight risk but that he may also pose a danger to witnesses.
“Police have done a good job putting this man who thought he could live without impunity behind bars, this arrest will gain us some ground in our efforts to fight crime in the province. We believe the arrest of ‘Bara’ will solve many other cases going forward, especially in the Khayelistha area that has been torn by various scenes of multiple murders,” Minister Cele noted.
Nyalara will be held in a corrections facility until he is due back in court on 18 August 2022.
How Yanga ‘Bara’ Nyalara was caught
The 30-year-old alleged gang boss was a central target in an intelligence operation led by South African police’s serious crimes division. According to national police spokesperson Lirandzu Themba, Bara is allegedly a criminal mastermind “who is alleged to have played a central role in the multiple killings that have taken place in the Khayelitsha township of Cape Town.”
Law enforcement authorities have been on the alleged gang boss’ tail for at least six years and, at every turn, attempts to take him down were unsuccessful.
From what we understand, the 30-year-old is adored by his fellow residents in Site C. In April 2022, large groups of protesters held a picket outside the Khayelitsha police station, calling on authorities to quit hassling a man they upheld as a community leader.
At the time, the police had launched a manhunt for Bara, with an R50 000 bounty on his head. Police believed he had fled to the Eastern Cape and, with no further leads to pursue, left his capture to hope.
When no new information was received, Cape Town police increased the reward to R100 000 in June 2022, and sure enough, informants came forward with crucial details on his whereabouts.
Cape Town’s most-feared gang boss was hiding in plain sight, it was found. In fact, the 30-year-old was traced to a residence situated on Nassau Street, in Bothasig.
On Friday, a concerted take-down operation was carried out on the residence and, after six years of tailing an elusive criminal mastermind, Bara was finally arrested.
Police revealed he was caught with two women, aged 21 and 28, respectively, and at the residence, drugs with a street value of R90 000 were found.
What charges does he face?
Yanga ‘Bara’ Nyalara is deemed a dangerous man with a sordid affinity for murder. Cape Town police are hard at work, trying to link the alleged gang boss to more violent crimes but, as things stand, he’s been charged with six of at least 19 known gang-related murders reported in Khayelitsha that occurred between 2018 and 2022.
Nyalara also faces charges related to:
- Prevention of Organised Crime Act;
- attempted murder;
- business robbery;
- possession of unlicenced firearms and ammunition; and
- drug dealing.
In the Eastern Cape, Nyalara is also wanted in connection with a cash-in-transit robbery allegedly perpetrated in Libode, in 2018.