More than ten years after the theft of R60 000 cash, two members of the SAPS VIP Protection unit were sentenced in the Upington Regional Court on Monday, 16 September.
Michael Sibiya (48) and Tebogo Noe (46) were both found guilty and fined R30 000 each, to be paid in monthly instalments; or an alternative three years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years. They were also declared unfit to possess a firearm, said Lt. Col Tebogo Thebe, spokesperson for the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit (Hawks).
Both were on duty in the Upington area in March 2014, and on visiting a local mall, they stumbled upon R60 000 cash. They bought flashlights, hid the money inside, and attempted to send it to their addresses in Kimberley through a local courier. The courier employees became suspicious and opened the package. On finding the cash, they notified the Hawks, leading to the arrest of the two.
They were found guilty in court in January 2016, after a lengthy trial, and sentencing only took place on Monday after what seemed to have been numerous delay tactics they employed.
Apparently, one of the accused resigned from the police service, while the other one is still a police official.
- At the time of going to press on Tuesday, this could not be confirmed, as well as what the implications were of a police official not being allowed to possess a firearm.
