Cape Town - The net is slowly closing on a national piracy syndicate involving the illegal Waka TV and DSTv access, following the arrest of a police officer in Paarl this week.
Western Cape police commissioner, Thembisile Patekile, has since issued a stern warning to officers who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
The sergeant was arrested on Tuesday at a residence in Berlios Street, Paarl.
“Following a thorough investigation in terms of the Cybercrime Act, Commercial Crime Unit detectives in conjunction with Irdeto South Africa (MultiChoice), obtained a search warrant to search a premises in Berlios Street, Paarl and arrested a police sergeant stationed at Durbanville SAPS,” Patekile said.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a reseller of Waka TV, which includes DSTv channels, without authorisation.
“At the premises the members confiscated one cellular telephone and one laptop, which were handed in as exhibits and formed part of the investigation.
"The sale of the logon credentials to access the channels illegally is estimated at a substantial amount. The investigation into the matter continues.”
The 49-year-old police officer has since been granted bail after making an appearance in court.
MultiChoice said they were aware of the arrest and were working alongside police.
“We are following law enforcement protocol and will share more information as it becomes available. We respect the ongoing investigation and cannot comment further at this time,” they said.
Frikkie Jonker, director of Broadcast and Cybersecurity, added this was just the tip of the iceberg.
“Authorities have made significant progress in identifying and disrupting Waka TV’s reseller network, not just in South Africa but across the continent.
"These enforcement operations send a clear message that content piracy will not be tolerated, and offenders will be held accountable through criminal prosecution and legal consequences.”
He said Waka TV was part of a vast, highly organised piracy syndicate that has siphoned millions from the legitimate broadcasting industry.
“Operating across borders, this illicit enterprise fuels a black market that threatens jobs, businesses, and the creative economy.
"However, MultiChoice, Irdeto, and law enforcement agencies have made it clear: no effort will be spared in shutting down these operations and bringing perpetrators to justice,” he said.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping, said: “IPID cannot comment on this case because it is not involved in the case. The case is being investigated by the Commercial Crime Unit and MultiChoice."
Mike Bolhuis, a cyber crime expert, said keeping the public informed was one way of combating such syndicates.
“There is no deterrent solution in place, this is anywhere and anything can be cloned, and any information, audio or visual can be stolen and sold and used privately.
“The solution to this is extreme cyber crime investigation and the identification of these crimes and the necessary information leaked to the public in order to curb this crime,” said Bolhuis.