Six people – including four high ranking former and current South African Police Service members – have been arrested over the past two days in connection with a R54 million police tender awarded in 2016.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate (NPA ID) spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, the six were arrested in Durban, Bloemfontein, Pretoria and at OR Tambo Airport.
“The suspects are two businessmen based in Durban, a former Lieutenant-General, a current serving Lieutenant-Colonel and two Majors-General from Pretoria and Bloemfontein. They are to appear at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, on charges of fraud, corruption, and theft.
“The arrests are a result of joint stakeholder cooperation between the Investigating Directorate (ID) and IPID [Independent Police Investigative Directorate] secondments assigned to the ID,” Seboka said.
She said the arrests are a further indication of the ID’s steadfast approach to rooting out corruption at all levels.
“The arrest of these very high ranking and seasoned police officials endorses the ID’s commitment to dealing with corruption and State capture, regardless of where it manifests itself,” she said.
Meanwhile, two illegal immigrants have been sentenced to at least 26 years imprisonment after they were convicted on at least 11 charges of housebreaking and being in the country illegally.
The pair, Azara Josea Nyungele from Mozambique, and Tatenda Tupudza from Zimbabwe, were sentenced in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court, with Nyungele given 20 years imprisonment and Tupudza given six years.
NPA regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said the break-ins took place over a three-year period.
“The offences happened between May 2019 and January 2022, when they broke into the complainant’s households while sleeping and took luxury items. They were arrested after breaking into a house in Annlin, Sinovolle, on 27 January 2022.
“[They] told the court that they stole these items to sell. In aggravation, the prosecutor, Rabia Ebrahim, told the court that such crimes are prevalent in the court’s area of jurisdiction. Each count of housebreaking involved luxury items, with a total loss of over R10 000. Furthermore, there was no justification for the reasons provided for the offences committed,” Mahanjana said.