Byline: Thendo Funyufunyu
Wednesday, 8 February 2023
A police constable assigned to Sabie SAPS and three other suspects were detained for causing damage to critical infrastructure at the Mac-Mac plantation in Graskop on Tuesday, 7 February 2023 at around 17H00.
This was made possible by Mpumalanga police refusing to be associated with criminal activities.
The security guard busted the 32-year-old constable and the other three suspects between the age of 38 and 43, when they were loading railroad rails onto a super-link truck that was allegedly owned by a trucking company with its headquarters in Cape Town.
Initial investigations indicate that the 38-year-old driver is from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, while three of the four suspects are from Mpumalanga. Police were quickly called after being informed by security workers, and they arrived at the site where the four criminals were apprehended.
The Hawks or the Directorate for Priority Crime investigation (DPCI) received the case docket for further processing. As the inquiry progresses, the cost of the criminally damaged infrastructure and the truck will be assessed.
The accused are scheduled to appear in court for the first time today, Wednesday 8 February 2023 facing the said charges in Graskop Magistrate’s Court.
Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, expressed disappointment over the suspected involvement of the SAPS member in criminal activity and praised the security team for their excellent work.
“The member involved will not be given special treatment but have to face the consequences of his criminal acts. Internal investigation will also be instituted against him,” said the General.
