Justice in court. Picture: Twitter
The Hawks have arrested an SA National Defence Force (SANDF) warrant officer after he allegedly demanded bribe money from a widow who had asked him to process her husband’s death claim.
According to a statement by the Hawks, Warrant Officer Bhekinkosi Victor Makhathini from the Mtubatuba Military Base, in KwaZulu-Natal, allegedly demanded R50,000 from the woman in order to process the death claim of an SANDF member.
The widow then reported the incident to the Hawks, who investigated the case.
They swiftly conducted an undercover operation where the woman gave the money to Makhathini to process the claim.
Makhathini has been granted R10,000 bail and is expected to appear in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on 24 July.
Efforts to get comment from the SANDF were unsuccessful.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said they arrested Makhathini in his office while he was counting the cash he had received from the complainant.
The 52-year-old was charged with corruption on Thursday.
On Friday, Mhlongo told News24 these were not false death claims and the Hawks did not take lightly to officers who flouted the law.
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