Former North West cops jailed for demanding bribes from public

Two former North West police officers have been sentenced to imprisonment after being found guilty of corruption, involving bribes demanded from members of the public.

The acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in North West, Maj-Gen Ryno Naidoo, said the convictions should serve as a warning to police officers that no one is above the law.

The convictions followed separate investigations by the Provincial Anti-corruption Unit.

In the first case, former warrant officer Thabo Alfred Maku, 56, and former constable Lebogang Lawrence Sebole, 38, were found guilty of demanding R4,000 from the owner of a butchery in Tlhabane in November 2020.

At the time, the pair were attached to the Phokeng Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and were on duty when they allegedly identified violations of the Meat Safety Act.

According to evidence presented in court, the business owner paid the money, but the officers did not issue an official fine or provide a receipt. The matter was later reported to authorities and investigated, leading to their arrests in August 2022.

Maku resigned from the SAPS after his arrest, while Sebole was dismissed from the police service.

The pair were convicted on July 10. On July 16, Maku was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for corruption and defeating the ends of justice, while Sebole received five years’ imprisonment for corruption.

In a separate case, Sebole was convicted of demanding R7,000 from a complainant in January 2022 in exchange for the release of a vehicle that had been impounded as evidence.

After the director of public prosecutions in North West approved an undercover operation, police arrested Sebole during the operation.

He was sentenced to a further six years’ direct imprisonment for corruption. However, the court ordered that this sentence run concurrently with the five-year sentence imposed in the Tlhabane matter.

Both former officers were also declared unfit to possess firearms under Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act.

Naidoo welcomed the sentences, saying they sent a strong message that corruption within the police service would not be tolerated.

He added that any abuse of authority, corruption or conduct that undermined public trust would be dealt with decisively.

TimesLIVE