Arthur Kaplan Jewellery heist matter intensifies as questions swirl over liquidation

With cross‑examination set to continue in April 2026, questions continue to swirl around the liquidation of Arthur Kaplan Jewellers and the dramatic events of 2023. The defence alleges an inside job involving gold, diamonds and watches worth an estimated R38 million that were removed from multiple stores in Sandton City and Eastgate. The matter returned to the Palmridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court last week, where the case was postponed to April.

The four accused, former Arthur Kaplan Jewellers director Hoosein Mohammed and former employees Azhar Ismail, Ridwan Mansoor and Ammarah Ismail, allegedly looted the stores in 2023 after the company went into liquidation. CCTV footage showed the haul being loaded into shopping trolleys and backpacks. The goods have not been recovered and the four have been charged with theft, according to theSunday Times.

Last week, during the cross‑examination of Arthur Kaplan liquidator Laila Motala, the court heard allegations of irregularities in both her appointment and her father’s involvement, former disgraced liquidator Enver Motala. According to the defence, the liquidation process was tainted by historical disputes, personal relationships and procedural anomalies. During proceedings, the court heard that both Motala and her father had engaged former Pamodzi Group directors Faizel and Solly Bhana to procure loans for Arthur Kaplan, despite the Bhanas allegedly being proven creditors of the estate.

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Faizel and Solly worked alongside Motala and were previously identified as key drivers in the collapse of two gold mines owned by thePamodzi Group during a 2009sale to BEE company Aurora Empowerment Systems (AES). AES included former president Jacob Zuma’s son, Khulubuse Zuma, and Zuma’s long-time lawyer, Michael Hulley.

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