Five Gauteng police officers face court over R100,000 bribery allegations
Five members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) attached to the Vanderbijlpark Visible Policing (Vispol) Task Team appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Regional Court on a charge of corruption after allegedly demanding a R100,000 bribe from a supermarket owner to avoid arrest.
The accused are Sergeants Johannes Thakhisi, 45, Ntombeko Christopher Seya, 44, Mpho Godfrey Molatedi, 39, Nhlanhla Sibusiso Sithole, 42, and Tlokotsi Khanya, 36.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, the officers were summoned to court following a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to prosecute them after an investigation by the Hawks' Vaal Serious Corruption Investigation unit.
Police said the case stems from an incident which happened in October 2024 when the owner of Oreo Supermarket was allegedly attending a mosque and received several phone calls from employees informing him that SAPS members were conducting a raid at his business premises.
