Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has condemned an incident of corruption within the SAPS and said they will not be tolerated.
Mchunu was speaking after a recent case involving four Joburg police officers, Constable Fhumulani Netsianda, Constable Macdonald Nethavhani, Constable Ayanda Meya and Constable Wisani Ngobeni of the Crime Intelligence Unit, alongside an employee of FNB and a civilian who were arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) for alleged corruption, extortion, kidnapping and assault.
Police said that on January 30, a complainant reported a shocking incident where individuals dressed in civilian clothes and purporting to be police officers approached him.
These individuals took him to Fairlands SAPS, where they falsely claimed to be investigating a fraud case against him. The complainant was then subjected to physical assault and was coerced into allowing these individuals to access his home in Fourways. Once there, his phones were confiscated, and a sum of R180 000 was transferred from his accounts into theirs. After this act, they abandoned the complainant near his other property in Roodepoort.
An investigation was swiftly launched, leading to the identification of the suspects involved. All six suspects have since been arrested and appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
“Let me be unequivocally clear: corruption within our police service will not be tolerated. The actions of these individuals are a betrayal of the public’s trust and a violation of the very principles that the SAPS stands for – honour, integrity, and service. The worst thing is that these are members of the Crime Intelligence Unit. We condemn their criminal activity in the strongest terms,” said Mchunu.
He said such conduct is not only criminal, but deeply dishonourable.
“We will not allow any further erosion of confidence that the public has in law enforcement agencies. As a matter of urgency, internal disciplinary processes will be instituted against the officers. As the minister of police, I assure the public that we will continue to root out corruption wherever it may exist within our ranks,” he said.
Mchunu said they remain committed to building a police service that is trusted by the people it serves and they will not rest until justice is served.
“I would like to commend the investigating officers who worked diligently on these cases, ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice. I would also like to commend the affected member of the public who reported this matter. The fight against corruption is a shared responsibility, and we urge the public to continue reporting any suspicious or criminal activities, particularly those involving law enforcement officers,” Mchunu said.
He further said that this incident poses a challenge to them, to scrutinise the recruitment of police officers, since these officers are constables.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the case against two police officers arrested by police watchdog Ipid for allegations of kidnapping and extortion on August 8 was postponed to tomorrow (August 14) for a formal bail application.
Ipid spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said the two police officers, aged 31 and 33, allegedly approached a man called Pita Muthisse in Springs, Ekurhuleni, and instructed him to get into their vehicle and they drove off with him.
Shuping said the officers accused Muthisse of being involved in illegal mining.
He said a community member known as “Mr Ntshangane” called Muthisse and he told him that the police officers who allegedly abducted him had handed him to Basotho nationals, who demanded R2 million for his safe return. The ransom was lowered to R150 000 and later to R20 000.
“The incident was reported to Ipid and the two police officers, both stationed at Midrand Highway Patrol, were arrested. Muthisse was released after the arrest of the police officers,” said Shuping.
He said the officers made their first appearance in the Springs Magistrate’s Court on Monday, facing charges of kidnapping and extortion, and the case was postponed to Wednesday for a formal bail application.
The Star