Limpopo Hawks nab five police officials in state fuel scam

LIMPOPO -Several police officials, arrested in connection with a fuel scam in Groblersdal, will have their day in court soon, says the Hawks.

The five men, who are stationed at the Groblersdal Police Station, were arrested on Monday, 8 February after the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit linked them to the said fuel card scam in which the state has suffered a loss of over R100 000, said Hawks Spokesperson, Capt Matimba Maluleke in a statement.

He explained that in February 2020, the complainant, who is the owner of one of the filling stations in area, alerted the police about the said scam. “It is alleged the cashiers, petrol attendants and police officials had colluded together and were using fleet cards (petrol cards) for their own benefits which included refueling their private vehicles. The suspects would wait for motorists to pay cash for their fuel then would swipe the fleet card in return for money and share it among themselves,” he said.

A case was opened at the local police station and later transferred to the Hawks unit for further investigation. The officials were arrested soon after.

Maluleke added that the accused in the matter, two sergeants and three constables, are expected to make their first appearance in the Groblersdal Magistrate’s court soon. “An operation to trace the remaining suspects is still ongoing and arrests are imminent.” He added that investigations into similar offences around the province are also underway.

Provincial Head of the Hawks, Mj Genl Thobeka Jozi has welcomed the arrests and commended the investigation team for its sterling work. “We will stop at nothing to fight all forms of corruption in the province. We will continue to investigate without fear or favor,” he concluded.