Provincial Commissioner Welcomes Arrests Following Anti-Corruption Investigation.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the arrest of two police officers stationed at Hlogotlou SAPS in the Sekhukhune District.
The arrests were effected on Friday, 16 January 2026, by members of the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit, assisted by the Tactical Response Team (TRT). The officers face charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice, stemming from incidents dating back to November 2024.
According to police reports, one of the suspects, a detective sergeant, was assigned to investigate an assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) case. During the investigation, he allegedly recovered an unlicensed firearm used in the assault. Instead of processing the evidence lawfully, the officer allegedly instructed the suspect to pay the victim R1,500 in exchange for withdrawing the case.
The payment was reportedly made through an electronic eWallet transaction using the victim’s cellphone number. The officer allegedly withdrew the money himself, handed R700 to the victim, and pocketed the remaining R800.
The matter later came to light and was reported to the Provincial Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit, which opened a formal case.
Further investigations revealed additional allegations against the same detective sergeant. On 17 November 2024, he was allegedly involved in dealing dagga at the police station holding cells. Two days later, on 19 November 2024, he and a colleague, a constable, conducted a search at the home of a suspect accused of dealing in dagga.
Dagga was allegedly found during the search. However, instead of arresting the suspect, the officers allegedly demanded a bribe of R2,500. They reportedly took R1,000 from the suspect’s pockets and informed him that they would return to collect the outstanding balance of R1,500.
When the officers later returned to the suspect’s home to collect the remaining money, they were confronted by the suspect’s mother. The officers allegedly fled the scene, but a security officer gave chase and managed to intercept their vehicle.
A case docket was subsequently registered and investigated by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit. Following thorough and meticulous investigations, both officers were arrested.
They are expected to appear before the Nebo Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 19 January 2026, facing charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
Lieutenant General Hadebe reiterated the SAPS’ commitment to rooting out corruption within its ranks and warned that officers who abuse their authority will face the full might of the law.
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