KEY POINTS
- Three police officers from Modjadjiskloof are charged with housebreaking, theft, and malicious damage to property following a break-in at the police station’s storeroom.
- Confiscated cigarettes marked as police exhibits were found loaded into a police van, leading to a formal investigation by the Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit.
- Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, ensuring that the officers will have their day in court.
In a shocking turn of events, three police officers stationed at Modjadjiskloof are set to appear before the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court in April 2025, facing serious charges of housebreaking, theft, and malicious damage to property.
The officers, aged 37, 47, and 50, are accused of being involved in corrupt activities related to a break-in at the Modjadjiskloof police station’s storeroom.
The incident reportedly occurred on the evening of March 20, 2024. The complainant, who is responsible for the storeroom, had secured the facility before leaving for the day.
However, later that evening, she received a call from an officer on duty, informing her that the storeroom was open and that three police officers were inside.
This raised immediate suspicion, as she had locked the storeroom and was in possession of the keys.
A Suspicious Cover-Up Attempt
On March 22, one of the suspects contacted the complainant, claiming there had been a crisis in the storeroom but that he had resolved the issue and would provide more details when she returned to duty.
However, upon inspection on March 25, the complainant and the station commander discovered that the storeroom had been secured with a different padlock, for which the complainant did not have the key.
Further investigation revealed that two of the suspects had been seen loading confiscated cigarettes, marked as police exhibits, into a police van.
A senior officer reportedly ordered them to offload the items, after which he used a small key to unlock the storeroom. This discovery added weight to the allegations of corruption and theft within the police ranks.
A case was subsequently opened and transferred to the Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit for further investigation.
As a result, the three officers were formally charged with housebreaking with intent to steal, theft, and malicious damage to property. The swift action by the authorities underscores the seriousness with which such allegations are being treated.
