The Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga Lt Gen Mondi Zuma has his hands full with all the police officers been arrested lately.
He was quoted recently when he said, “We will arrest anyone who commits a crime and engages in corrupt activities without fear or favour, even if it means arresting our own.”
Just in the past month, four local police officials felt Zuma’s wrath.
In the most recent incident, a police officer from Phola SAPS was arrested after suspected robbers were found hiding in her house.
This arrest follows an armed robbery on January 22 when five men entered Abram Shop on the Ogies Kriel Road, pointed a firearm at the owner and instructed him to lie down.
According to reports, they took a huge amount of cash, cigarettes and his cell phone.
As they were about to leave the shop, the victim’s brother arrived and called the police.
A cross-fire between the police and the suspects ensued, but the suspects managed to escape.
They were traced to Rietspruit where they hid in a bush.
While the police were searching, an informant told them where the suspects were hiding in a house not far from where they were searching.
A further inquiry revealed that the house belongs to one of their colleagues, stationed at Phola Police Station.
When the house was searched, two of the suspects were discovered in one of the rooms.
The police officer and suspects were arrested and appeared in Kriel Magistrate’s Court.
The police officer is still in custody and the case has been postponed to January 29 for legal representation.
On March 4 Capt Sekgweni Phasha (52), Sgt Nonthuthuzelo Mabena (34) and Const Mellicent Mlambo (51) will appear in Witbank Magistrate’s Court again on a charge of suspected corruption.
They were arrested on January 6 by the Mpumalanga Anti Corruption Unit.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi said the arrests follows an incident that occurred on August 29 when the three local policemen together with three other suspects from Gauteng entered a furniture and electronics shop in the central business area.
“Reports allege that three of the suspects were dressed in police uniform and the others were wearing civilian clothes. These suspects informed the owner of the business that they are doing a search in the shop and they are specifically looking for drugs. During the search, drugs were indeed found and were confiscated together with an amount of about R86 000 cash.”
Hlathi said the business owner, Mr Awias Ahmed, and two of his employees were arrested and taken to Witbank Police Station for detention.
However, they were told to go home because the confiscated drugs had gone missing.
Only R36 000 of the R86 000 was allegedly given back to Ahmed.
He immediately reported the incident.
