Five years in prison for Ferdinand Fortuin over bomb threats in Bellville

The Bellville Regional Court sentenced Ferdinand Fortuin, 49, to five years' direct imprisonment on Thursday, August 7, in connection with bomb threats that he made in November last year.

Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, previously said an unidentified man had called the Bellville police station in November last year, claiming that explosive devices had been placed at the Department of Water and Sanitation in Bellville, the Transnet building in Bellville South, and the Bellville taxi rank.

The same threat was later made telephonically to the Road Traffic Emergency toll-free number on the same day

On Friday, November 15, 2024, Hawks and police members conducted a search and seizure operation in Mamre, where Mr Fortuin was arrested, with several evidential materials seized.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said Mr Fortuin made these threats following heavy drinking on Sunday, November 10 last year, and decided that he did not want to go to work the next day.  

“He left his home in Mamre with the hope that the roads leading to Bellville would be closed because of his bomb threats. They were not, and he worked the whole day,” he said. 

Mr Ntabazalila added that in his plea and sentencing agreement, Mr Fortuin confessed that he bought a cellphone from a drug user, which he used to make the hoax calls to the police and a toll-free emergency number regarding the placement of explosive devices in the buildings, of which one was where he worked.

“This resulted in the deployment of substantial state resources and the evacuation of thousands of people from the three sites. At the Water and Sanitation Department offices on Voortrekker Road, police assisted by three bomb disposal technicians, the K-9 Dog Unit using explosive detection canines, and visible policing unit members evacuated 164 people. 

“Meanwhile, 151 people were evacuated from the department’s Bellville South offices. Police, assisted by the same units, evacuated 250 people from the Transnet Park Building offices, and 3,000 people were evacuated from the taxi rank. The taxi rank was closed, and roads leading to and out of the taxi rank were closed, resulting in huge panic in the area,” Mr Ntabazalila said in a statement.

Mr. Fortuin was arrested and charged with four counts of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act 33 of 2004 (POCDATARA) and for contravening the Explosives Act 26 of 1956. 

He was convicted on three counts of POCDATARA, and for purposes of sentencing, the charges were taken together, and he was sentenced to five years' direct imprisonment. 

The court found that he was a first offender, he had pleaded guilty, had strong personal circumstances, had shown remorse, and his acknowledgement of guilt made him a good candidate for a rehabilitative sentence, Mr Ntabazalila said.