LIMPOPO PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER CONDEMNS ACTS OF CORRUPTION WITHIN THE RANKS OF SAPS
POLOKWANE: The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has strongly condemned the conduct of four SAPS members from Limpopo who were arrested in Mpumalanga together with a civilian in connection with a house robbery that occurred on Thursday night, 09 October 2025.
The suspects, aged between 29 and 41, were arrested during the night in Lydenburg following swift police response to a house robbery in Mashishing. According to preliminary reports, the victims, all Ethiopian nationals, were asleep when they were ambushed by a group of armed suspects.
It is reported that the suspects were using three vehicles:
•A grey double-cab Toyota bakkie with Limpopo registration plates
•A marked SAPS VW Golf GTI belonging to Polokwane Flying Squad
•A third vehicle, believed to be a Suzuki or Avanza, which fled the scene carrying several boxes of suspected illicit cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of cash.
Three male officers and one female officer- attached to various Limpopo SAPS units- were arrested on the scene, along with a civilian accomplice. Both the marked police vehicle and the Toyota bakkie were confiscated.
Further investigation led to the recovery of boxes of illicit cigarettes valued at approximately R1.5 million and cash amounting to about R950,000. Police also discovered that the registration plates on the seized vehicles had been altered with black tape in an apparent attempt to conceal their identities. Ammunition was also recovered at the scene.
Two of the arrested officers were found in possession of their official service firearms, which were subsequently seized.
All five suspects remain in custody and are expected to appear before the Mashishing Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 13 October 2025, facing charges of house robbery. Additional charges may follow as investigations progress. The case has since been transferred to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) for further handling.
Lieutenant General Hadebe welcomed the swift arrests and reiterated that acts of criminality and corruption within the ranks of the SAPS will not be tolerated. “The members have since been suspended in line with Discipline Regulations 2016 and the matter will be expedited departmentally,” said Lieutenant General Hadebe.
“No member will be allowed to tarnish the image of the organisation under our watch. Any law enforcement official who engages himself or herself in corrupt activities will be subjected to the Criminal Justice System and the law will take its full course,” added Lieutenant General Hadebe.
