Hawks swoop in on two of its own members

Two members of the Hawks, South Africa’s elite crime-fighting unit, were nabbed Thursday, when they were apprehended by their own colleagues for allegedly attempting to extort money from a suspect in exchange for making his legal troubles disappear.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said the two Hawks officials, aged between 41 and 43, held the ranks of Sergeant and Captain.

R10,000 was apparently discovered in their possession.

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The first call

Mogale said the alleged misconduct came to light when they reached out to an individual who was facing charges of fraud filed by the Department of Labour.

On 31 July, the man charged with fraud received an unexpected call from one of the Hawks officials. The caller identified himself as a Captain within the Hawks, stationed in Gauteng. He said he wanted to meet the fraud-accused regarding the Department of Labour’s case against the complainant’s company.

Mogale said the complainant received yet another call on 4 August, from the same Hawks official, this time demanding a substantial amount of R400,000.

“The fraud-accused, however, [said] he did not possess such a hefty amount,” Mogale said.

The fraud accused received yet another call on Tuesday, this time with the Hawks official insisting on a meeting in Mthatha.

Mogale said the purpose of this meeting was to secure an amount of R50,000 in exchange for an assurance the damning case docket would be destroyed, effectively closing the case.

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Undercover operation

“The fraud-accused promptly reported the matter to the Hawks. An undercover operation was swiftly initiated, culminating in the offending officials’ arrest immediately after the illicit transaction.

“Astonishingly, an amount of R10,000 was discovered in the possession of the apprehended Hawks officials,” Mogale said.

The accused pair were to appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court earlier this morning to face charges of corruption.

Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, the Provincial Head of the Hawks, expressed his satisfaction with the rapid response of the joint operation. He emphasised the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Hawks.