Three police officers have been arrested for attempting to extort money from the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) in charge of Human Settlements Councillor Lesiba Mpya on Wednesday.
This was during an intelligence-driven joint operation between SAPS and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD).
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The arrest comes after the accused claimed they were in the possession of a dossier containing evidence of alleged corruption and malfeasance committed by Mpya, executive mayor Councillor Mzwandile Masina, City Manager Dr Imogen Mashazi and other senior political figures within the region.
The accused allegedly demanded that Mpya pay an amount of R5-million in order for them to make the dossier disappear.
In a statement released by the spokesperson of the mayor, Phakamile Mbengashe, he says upon receiving these demands, Mpya approached the police and opened a case of extortion and corruption against the three police officers, case registration number 163/06/2019.
“The SAPS and EMPD proceeded to set up a joint intelligence operation in which the accused were investigated and a sting operation was formulated in order to apprehend the accused.
“On the evening of June 12, Mpya participated in a sting operation where he made money drop off at a venue prescribed by the three accused.
“Upon handing over the money to the accused, police authorities pounced on the three police officers and arrested them,” he explains.
The investigations into the three police officers revealed that they were connected to a string of anonymous WhatsApp messages that went viral in March that made false claims of corrupt activity being undertaken by the administration of Masina and senior management staff of the City.
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“It was found that messages were being used as an attempt to intimidate Masina and Mpya into paying their R5-m demand,” he says.
“We must commend the swift and effective response by both the SAPS and EMPD in apprehending these three corrupt police officers in our City.
“I am glad that today, the truth is finally being unveiled on a malicious and incendiary plot to distract this administration from continuing to deliver quality services to our people,” says Masina.
