A criminal who was allowed to work as a policeman - including leading an elite group tasked with tracing most wanted suspects - has been served another prison term.
And the Hawks are out for blood as tries to mop up his associates in the embarrassing saga.
The infamous Limpopo bogus cop‚ who walked into the Polokwane police station in 2012 claiming to be "Captain Mailula from head office"‚ real name Alex Matsobane Maake (41) and his wife Isabella Khomotso Maake (49) have been sentenced to nine years and 12 months suspended sentences respectively by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.
The sentencing came after Maake last week pleaded guilty on charges of fraud‚ impersonating a police officer‚ escaping from lawful custody and contravention of the Correctional Services Act.
His wife pleaded guilty on the charge of contravening the Correctional Services Act.
Maake’s run-ins with the law dates back to 2002 when he was arrested and convicted for rape and theft in Boksburg. While awaiting sentencing at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre‚ Maake escaped from custody in January 2012 with the help of a policewoman‚ who has since been sacked.
He then went to Limpopo where he worked at Polokwane and Seshego police stations as well as at the Crime Intelligence.
"During his tenure as a fake cop‚ Maake used his ranks to get money from business people in Polokwane. He also used state resources‚ including a firearm‚ to illegally offer protection services to business people in that area and evicted people from their houses‚" the SA Police Service said.
He was arrested by the Hawks in February 2015.
The elite police unit said in a statement on Monday: "The Hawks’ investigations have gained momentum and more arrests relating to Maake’s reign of terror as a bogus policeman in Limpopo are imminent".
Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza reinforced the message‚ saying: "Now our claws are out for those who were or are still associated with the convicted criminal so that we can also bring them to book..."
Maake was previously convicted of various crimes. These are:
- In January 2002 he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for robbery he committed in Boksburg.
- In June 2002 Maake was sentenced to serve 15 years in jail for rape and five years for theft by the Regional Court in Benoni.
- On 16 October 2015 Maake was also sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for rape and five years for theft by the Cullinan Regional Court.
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