MPUMALANGA – A former police constable already serving time for stock theft has been hit with fresh fraud and theft charges after he allegedly misused a police fleet card to spend R8 000 on personal expenses.

The Hawks arrested Bafo Siyabonga Cindi (35) at Ermelo Correctional Centre on Thursday, where he is being held while awaiting trial in separate stock theft cases.

Cindi worked as an investigator with the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit in Standerton, Mpumalanga, when the alleged crimes took place. Police launched an investigation in 2024 after the same unit reported irregularities involving a SAPS FNB fleet card.

According to the Hawks, Cindi used the card to make personal purchases worth around R8 000 while he was still employed as an investigating officer. The Hawks’ Secunda Serious Corruption Investigation team handled the probe and sent the case to the National Prosecuting Authority, which approved a warrant for his arrest.

Cindi is currently waiting for trial in stock theft cases registered in Perdekop and Greylingstad. Magistrates denied him bail in both matters. The police service dismissed him from his post in May 2026.

He appeared in the Standerton Magistrate’s Court on the fraud and theft charges. The court postponed the matter to 5 November so he can find a lawyer to represent him.

Brigadier Bruce Davenport, the acting provincial head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, said the arrest shows that law enforcement officers who break the law will be held to account.

“No uniform, badge or rank places anyone above the law. Those who abuse their authority and misuse state resources for personal enrichment will face the full might of the law,” Davenport said on Friday.

He said the Hawks in Mpumalanga will continue to protect the integrity of the criminal justice system and restore public confidence through action against corruption.

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