TWO ACCUSED SENTENCED FOR CORRUPTION
LIMPOPO: Two accused Zola Maenetja (45) and Lotus Maenetja (37) were convicted and sentenced to five (5) years imprisonment or to pay a fine of Twenty Thousand rand (R20 000.00) on Corruption charges at the Giyane Commercial Specialized Crimes Court on 23 July 2024.
During 2015, the police official attached to the Giyane Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit (FCS) was investigating a rape case where Locus Maenetja was an accused person. The investigator received a call from Zola Maeneja, who requested him to destroy the rape case docket where his younger brother, Lotus Maenetja, was the accused. He promised to pay the investigator R2500-00.
The matter was operationalized, and the transaction took place at Giyani.
After the transaction took place, Lotus and Zola approached the investigator, who was seated in the car and took out another amount of R1700 in addition to the deposited monies.
After the cash amount was paid over, Zola and Lotus were arrested for corruption.
The case docket was transferred to the Hawks, Serious Corruption Investigation, Phalaborwa, for further investigation.
The case was thoroughly investigated until the accused were convicted and sentenced accordingly.
The Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks in Limpopo province Brigadier SC Schambriel welcomed the conviction and sentence.
