LIMPOPO – A 60-year-old warrant officer attached to the Giyani Police Station appeared in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on a charge of corruption following his arrest by members of the Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit on Monday.

Liquor licence payment at centre of case

The accused, Mfundisi Benneth Kubayi, appeared in court after allegations that, in July 2020, he accepted payment from a complainant who wanted to obtain a liquor licence.

It is alleged that Kubayi promised to assist with the processing of the licence application in exchange for payment.

However, after making the payment, the complainant allegedly discovered that the application had not been properly processed.

The matter was subsequently reported to the police and referred to the Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit for investigation.

Warrant leads to Monday arrest

Upon completion of the investigation, the case docket was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who authorised the issuing of a J50 warrant for arrest.

The warrant led to the suspect’s arrest on Monday, after which he appeared in Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Case moves to regional court

During his court appearance, the accused was granted bail of R5 000. The matter was postponed to August 28 for a regional court appearance. This was due to the seriousness of the charge, which warranted that the case be transferred to the regional court for further proceedings.

Commissioner welcomes arrest

Meanwhile, the provincial police commissioner, Major General Jan Scheepers, welcomed the arrest and the accused’s subsequent court appearance, saying corruption has no place within the SAPS.

“Corruption undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system and has no place within the South African Police Service. We remain committed to ensuring that every allegation of corruption is thoroughly investigated and that those found to have acted unlawfully are held accountable,” said Scheepers.