UPDATE AND REMOVAL OF ORIGINAL SAPS MEDIA RELEASE:
In Case No.: 2026-203130 in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria), the Honourable Justice Davis made the following order on the First, Second and Third Respondents (The Minister of the SAPS, The National Commissioner of the SAPS and the SAPS Media Liaison Officer) on behalf of the Applicant (Antonio Iozzo):
- Postponement of the application to Wednesday 26 August 2026 at 11:30
- Pending the outcome of the application the respondents (SAPS) were directed to remove forthwith the Facebook, website and Social Media post from it’s website and all it’s Social Media Platforms as it appears in the format as annexed.
- The applicant was directed to serve the order dated 21 August 2026 and all further documents, notices and process in the urgent interdictory application, postponed to 26 August 2026 at 11:30 as follows:
- By delivering the application and the order obtained herein at the address of the respondents and the State Attorney, Pretoria and
- Via email to the following addresses: matshayap@saps.org.za, dpcihead@saps.org.za, blignaultd@, debeers@saps.org.za, sarojadevil@saps.org.za, seemiseoniccah@saps.org.za, websiteandscialmedia@saps.org.za, sapsweb@sita.co.za, mbabmbonp@saps.org.za and selepemashadi@saps.org.za
- The costs of the application in respect of the hearing of 21 August 2026 were reserved.
In furtherance of this INTERIM order we at Fraudalert received this message:
Kindly see attached a copy of the court order directing the SAPS to remove the statements from SAPS website, Facebook and other social media platforms. In the circumstances we request that you similarly remove same.
We trust you find the above in order.
Kind regards
Melissa Steyn
Now – we have been the subject of one SLAPP suit in the past and, frankly, cannot afford to py attention, let alone defend ourselves against a ‘billionaire’.
So we removed the original post and replaced it with this update based on public domain and court order documents.
We remove it as a FAVOUR and plea to avoid a SLAPP suit despite NOT being mentioned in any court documents – specifically or as part of a blanket order.
News24 ammended their article based on the above court order after being contacted by lawyers for the three accused: Antony Iozzo (49), Daniel Werner Roets (43) and Abraham Johannes van Rensburg (56). The lawyers aver that the original release fom the SAPS contained incorrect information.
Iozzo heads several companies in the insurance, fitness, hospitality and property sectors. Iozzo’s memoir, Slaying the Dragon (published in 2024), became a bestseller. It was based on his experiences managing a multibillion-rand empire subject to a crippling opioid addiction.