Five police officers in the Free State are in court regarding large amounts of missing cash recovered during a heist in which one member was killed in February last year. The officers are facing charges of theft, defeating the ends of justice, and money laundering. A charge of breaking an oath of office could also be added.
This followed their arrest by the Hawks`Welkom Serious Corruption Investigation unit on Thursday (29/06). The suspects are WO Sello Edward Moopela (50), Sgts Morena Caroll Semase (38) and Solomon Ramoisa Rasentsoere (42), and Consts. Petrus Zwelonakele Mphethu (42) and Seponono Benedict Mohoang (40). They were granted bail of R2 000 each during their appearance in the Sasolburg Magistrates’ Court on Friday (30/06).
Lt. Col Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson of the Hawks, said a warrant for their arrest was issued and executed on Thursday. A warrant for arrest was issued following meticulous probing by the Welkom Serious Corruption team regarding the alleged missing R1 million. Mohobeleli said the five accused are attached to the police Kroonstad K9 unit and Zamdela in Sasolburg. He said the money in question was part of that recovered after a heist on the R57 road on 4 February last year.
“They allegedly took the money, to the tune of R1 million, which they had recovered from members of the public who had helped themselves to this cash during a cash-in-transit heist in Sasolburg on 4 February 2022. Instead of registering the recovered money into the police store, these police officials reportedly pocketed the money, an investigation revealed,” said Mohobeleli.
He said a group of robbers took an undisclosed amount of money and then fled in a white Toyota Fortuner and a red Hyundai SUV.
On the day, a G4S cash delivery vehicle was travelling along the R57 from Vanderbijlpark towards Sasolburg when it was ambushed by a group of armed men, travelling in four vehicles. A police officer attached to the Sedibeng Tactical Response Team (TRT) was killed and three security officials were wounded in a crossfire involving the armed robbers, who are still on the run.
