Two SAPS members attached to Modjadjiskloof police station in Limpopo have been sentenced after pleading guilty to breaking into a police evidence storeroom and attempting to steal confiscated cigarettes.
Sergeant Maenetja Maropeng Ednah and Constable Kgatla Lehlogonolo Lazarus were each sentenced by the Tzaneen Regional Court to four years' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that they are not convicted of a similar offence during the suspension period.
The pair appeared before the Tzaneen Regional Court on several occasions before pleading guilty on June 10 to charges of housebreaking with intent to steal and attempted theft, as well as malicious damage to property.
The court treated both counts as one for purposes of sentencing.
According to Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, the convictions stem from an incident on March 20, 2024, when the SAP 13 evidence storeroom at Modjadjiskloof police station was unlawfully entered after it had been secured by an officer who was in possession of the keys.
