Police sergeant arrested for stealing recovered property stored at police station
A 51-year-old Limpopo-based police sergeant has been arrested on charges of theft and defeating the administration of justice.
Image: File
A 51-year-old police sergeant stationed at Haenertsburg police station in Limpopo has been arrested by the Limpopo provincial anti-corruption unit on charges of theft and defeating the administration of justice.
The arrest follows an incident on 15 March 2024, when the sergeant and his colleagues were conducting crime prevention duties in Haenertsburg. They pursued a suspicious vehicle that sped off when ordered to stop. The chase ended in the Mankweng policing area, where the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled.
Upon inspection, police found the vehicle loaded with chainsaws, suspected of being stolen. The vehicle and the equipment were taken to Haenertsburg SAPS, where the items were booked into the SAPS 13 register.
It is alleged that the sergeant later stole two of the chainsaws and sold them for his personal gain. The stolen items were subsequently recovered.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed the arrest.
“The provincial anti-corruption unit conducted a thorough investigation, and the case was presented to the senior state prosecutor, who issued a warrant of arrest,” he said.
Mashaba further explained that the suspect was formally served with the warrant on 26 September 2025.
“The member is expected to make his first court appearance on 24 October 2025 at the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court,” he said.
Meanwhile, the provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, strongly condemned the conduct of the police officer.
“The SAPS does not tolerate corruption or criminal behaviour within its ranks,” said Hadebe.
In July, IOL reported that three employees of the SAPS — two police officers and a general cleaner — all stationed at Modimolle police station in Limpopo, have briefly appeared in court for allegedly stealing packets of washing powder from a crash scene.
The trio appeared before the Modimolle Magistrate’s Court on Monday, facing theft charges and defeating the ends of justice.
“The accused are Warrant Officer Frans Ndlovu, 55, Warrant Officer Lesiba Boya, 49, and the cleaner Lucas Moima, 50,” Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said at the time.
“The charges relate to an incident that occurred on 14 July 2025, when a delivery truck carrying pallets of washing powder lost control along the R101 road near Modimolle.”
During the chaos that followed, the two police officers allegedly looted the spilled cargo, using a marked SAPS vehicle.
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