Ex-Hawks boss found guilty of fraud and corruption, fined R25K

The former head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Major General Simon Mapyane, has been slapped with a R25,000 fine after he was found guilty on five charges of fraud and corruption.

Mapyane was arrested in May 2013 after an investigation found he had submitted false travel claims to the tune of about R20,000 in 2010.

In one of his claims, he said he had used his private vehicle to attend a Hawks operation in Ogies, Mpumalanga. Evidence, however, showed he had in fact travelled in a police vehicle.

Mapyane also claimed travelling costs for attending a court case in Pretoria. It was, however, revealed that he was not subpoenaed to be there. The investigation came about after a whistleblower in the Nelspruit branch of the Hawks spilled the beans.

The then Mpumalanga police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela, led the investigation and arrested Mapyane on May 22, 2010.

After his arrest, Mapyane had a few run-ins with his employer when he was suspended while a disciplinary hearing was conducted. He refused to vacate his office and only did so after members of his unit held a sit-in.

Mapyane was fired after being found guilty at the disciplinary hearing. In February this year, Nelspruit Regional Court magistrate Vanessa Joubert found Mapyane guilty on five charges of fraud and corruption.

On Friday, Joubert ruled that Mapyane should pay R5,000 for each conviction. She also sentenced him to two-year wholly suspended jail terms for each count on condition that he immediately pay his fine.

News24

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