The NPA has gone into damage control mode after pictures surfaced from a function held late last year showing Glenwood businessman Rory Allan Golding twirling round the dancefloor with Durban prosecutor Quintelle Gabriel (pictured here, courtesy IOL).
Goldin, along with Vivek Sewpersad (representing a Rooftop 420 outlet), Pregasen Govindsamy (Isipingo Highlife (Pty) Ltd) and Darren Wade Muller (Highlife Umhlanga (Pty) Ltd) is facing cannabis dealing and money laundering charges. They appeared in court in February 2025 where prosecutor did not oppose bail – Goldin was released on R20 000 bail while the others had to pay R5 000.
State alleges that Goldin was the kingpin in an illicit THC distribution network
The NPA’s case, according to prosecutor handling the matter, Zukisa Dyasi, is that Goldin was the ‘principle architect’ of a ‘coordinated and deliberate scheme designed to illicitly distribute and sell THC’. According to the state, Goldin strategically recruited Vivek, Govindasamy, and Muller to manage separate cannabis outlets under the façade of being a legitimate CBD businesses whereas the intent was to use these outlets to distribute THC, a controlled substance. “Goldin personally manages an outlet under the same scheme. He is also responsible for procuring THC and distributing it to all associated outlets,” said Dyasi at the time.
Now the NPA has found itself having to explain how Goldin appeared to be the ‘life of the party’ at a farewell dinner for NPA staffers last year. Nobody would have been any the wiser had a whistle blower not dropped off a flash drive at KZN Media House in Durban recently with pictures and messages from a prosecutors’ Whatsapp group from the function – a thread that was subsequently deleted.
NPA says there is ‘no conflict of interest’ in Goldin attending an NPA party
In the pictures, which IOL has verified as being genuine, Goldin is holding prosecutor Quinelle Gabriel’s hand above her head and spinning her round the carpeted dance floor at a venue in Durban.
The Whatsapp messages suggest they were in a ‘relationship’, and that this caused some distress as Goldin’s trial is still to get off the ground. IOL reports that an unnamed prosector at the party threatened to open a damages case against any staff member who spoke to the press, but now confronted with leak, the NPA has decided to ride out the controversy.
NPA KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara told IOL that there was no conflict of interest arising from Goldin’s attendance of the function.
“The criminal matter which is cited is being dealt with by the organised crime component and is not being handled by the Durban cluster,”
“The question of a conflict of interest therefore does not arise” she said.
Ramkisson-Kara said Gabriel was acting as a district court control prosecutor in the family section of the Durban Magistrate’s Court and as of 1 April 2026, under a mentorship programme, and had applied for a promotional post.
Goldin’s lawyer says he is being targeted unfairly
Goldin’s lawyer, candidate attorney Shreya Naido, maintains that Goldin is taking the fall for what has become normal practice in the unregulated cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’. She said only outlets associated with Goldin were targeted by police.
“This is even though there are three to four cannabis shops on nearly every corner in Umhlanga and throughout Durban,” she said.
Naidoo said while personal cultivation and private use have been decriminalised, commercial distribution exists in a grey area.
“This ambiguity has created confusion, making it evident that individuals must possess in-depth knowledge of the legal and operational aspects of cannabis cultivation to comply with the law. However, this knowledge is not equally accessible to all, resulting in a system where some businesses are unfairly targeted while others continue operations without interference,” she said.
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