Two Limpopo police officers have been sentenced to direct imprisonment after they were found guilty of corruption and defeating the ends of justice for soliciting a bribe from a suspect’s family.
Rapi Sekopana, 52, and Thabang Ledwaba, 32, were sentenced in the Polokwane magistrate’s court on Wednesday to four years’ imprisonment, with two years suspended.
They will serve a minimum of two years’ direct imprisonment and have been declared unfit to possess firearms.
We are resolute in our commitment to root out corruption within the South African Police Service. This conviction sends a strong message that no one is above the law.
— Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe, Limpopo police commissioner
The pair, who were stationed at Mahwelereng police station, were convicted after an investigation by the provincial anti-corruption unit.
According to police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba, the incident dates back to January 2023, when the officers responded to a complaint of possession of suspected stolen property in Ga-Molekane village, under the Mahwelereng policing area.
“After taking a male suspect into custody, the officers allegedly contacted his sister and demanded R1,000 in exchange for his release. The woman managed to raise R500, which she handed over along the N11 near Molekane village, as instructed,” said Ledwaba.
The officers dropped the man off at Mahwelereng Mall at Moshate Crossing. Community members later re-arrested the man and took him to the police station, where he was formally detained.
The matter was reported to the provincial anti-corruption unit, prompting an investigation led by Col Benjamin Mashitisho. The two officers were arrested in July 2024, and granted bail of R5,000 each during their court appearances before their conviction this week.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe said: “We are resolute in our commitment to root out corruption within the South African Police Service. This conviction sends a strong message that no one is above the law. Our focus remains on serving and protecting our communities with honesty and professionalism.”
TimesLIVE
Mmatumelo Lebjane
www.timeslive.co.za
