Modjadjiskloof police officers face theft charges
Three Modjadjiskloof police officers face housebreaking, theft, and property damage charges, and are set to appear in Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court.
TZANEEN – Three police officers stationed at Modjadjiskloof are set to appear before the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court in April 2025, facing charges of housebreaking, theft, and malicious damage to property.
The officers, aged 37, 47, and 50, were allegedly involved in corrupt activities related to a break-in at the Modjadjiskloof police station’s storeroom.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba says that reports indicate the incident occurred on the evening of March 20, 2024, when the complainant, who is responsible for the storeroom, had secured the facility before leaving for the day.
Later that evening, she received a call from an officer on duty, informing her that the storeroom was open and that three police officers were inside. This raised suspicion, as she had locked the storeroom and was in possession of the keys.
On March 22, one of the suspects contacted the complainant, claiming there had been a crisis in the storeroom but that he had resolved the issue and would provide more details when she returned to duty.
Upon inspection on March 25, the complainant and the station commander discovered that the storeroom had been secured with a different padlock, for which the complainant did not have the key.
Further investigation revealed that two of the suspects had been seen loading confiscated cigarettes, marked as police exhibits, into a police van.
A senior officer reportedly ordered them to offload the items, after which he used a small key to unlock the storeroom.
A case was subsequently opened and transferred to the Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit for further investigation. As a result, the three officers were formally charged with housebreaking with intent to steal, theft, and malicious damage to property.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the arrests, stating, “We cannot condone any corruption within our ranks. If you are alleged to be involved in criminal activities, you should be afforded the opportunity to have your day in court.”
The police investigations are ongoing.
