Hawks sink talons into K9-unit officers

LYDENBURG – Eight K9-unit officers of the local SAPS were apprehended on Tuesday after an investigation by the Hawks, on account of corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
This follows after the first arrest of one of these members was made last week for the same offence. The arrest of one warrant officer, a sergeant and six constables brings the total number of officers arrested to nine.
The Hawks gathered on Tuesday at the Sasol Filling Station leading towards town from where they, and other Lydenburg SAPS officials, were about to deploy to apprehend the suspects at their workplaces and homes.

The newspaper bore witness when the Hawks clamped down on two bakkies carrying illegal cigarettes at the filling station. Two suspects were taken into custody on the scene. A third man, was thought to be the driver of the other bakkie.
The eight K9 suspects were set to appear in an identification parade last week, but refused and sent a letter to explain that they did not have a legal representative yet.
The Hawks were made aware of this and a summons for their immediate arrests were issued. The officers were stripped of all their police attire, including all their weapons and brought to the station, where the Hawks kept them out of sight.
Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the Hawks, said their arrests followed after these officers were alleged to be involved with the dealing of money related to counterfeit cigarettes. “Today’s operation comes after months of investigation by the Hawks. This also forms part of an ongoing one. We are sending out a clear message that we will not tolerate any corruption within the SAPS. Today is just a continuation of the arrest made last week, where one of the unit members was apprehended. We believe that they are working with syndicates.
Their role mostly was to escort the items and facilitate the selling of the illegal cigarettes. The biggest role they played was ensuring the safe passing of the items through this route in Mpumalanga.”
He said most of the cigarettes came from either Mozambique or Zimbabwe.
“They obviously used different routes to channel the goods. More arrests are expected. It is of course very shameful to apprehend some of our own, but it is something that needs to be done.
When people look at the police, they look at law enforcers, not people breaking the law. The message should be sent that lawlessness in the SAPS will not be allowed,” he said.
The eight suspects, aged 30 to 49, appeared in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
They were granted bail of R500 each. Their names have not been released pending their pleas.
They will again appear in in the local Magistrate’s Court on September 16.