Perlemoen bust on ex-WP player’s farm

Cape Town - Former Western Province rugby player Calla Scholtz was given a dropkick on Monday when police seized more than 25 000 abalone on his farm outside Greyton near Caledon.

A police source says the perlemoen is worth about R2.8 million, although police say they are still calculating the amount.

A visibly shaken Scholtz told the Daily Voice he was shocked to discover that a house he had been renting out for the past few weeks was being used as an illegal perly drying facility.

Scholtz said: “You try to do good to people and then something like this happens.”

He had been renting out the house on his farm Klein Eike to a man from Caledon whom he has known “for about 20 years”.

“He built a wall at my house which hasn’t been completed yet but now he says he doesn’t know me and denies renting the property,” said a shocked Scholtz.

He adds that the house was quite a distance from other residences on the farm.

The man, whose identity is known to the Daily Voice, has had previous run-ins with police regarding perlemoen smuggling.

In March 2014, the man was arrested for perjury after lying to Wynberg police about his bakkie being stolen.

A short while later he was caught with nearly 6 000 stolen abalone in Caledon.

During the bust on Monday, police arrested two Chinese nationals, aged 26 and 35, and seized 25 679 dried perlemoen.

Spokeswoman Constable Noloyiso Rwexana said: “Equipment seized, gas bottles, drying racks, bags of salt and cooking equipment were also seized.

The suspects were expected to appear in the Caledon Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Daily Voice