A well-known police official, Sergeant Jacobus ‘JM’ Spangenberg of the K9 Langeberg Unit in Mossel Bay, made his first appearance in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court yesterday, following his arrest by George’s Serious Organised Crime Unit on Wednesday.

Mossel Bay Advertiser reports that a statement released by the Western Cape Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) yesterday morning said Spangenberg faces charges of possession of explosives.

However, following his court appearance, it was confirmed he faces charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice, as well as possession of explosives.

Further details about the exact circumstances which led to his arrest were not made available by the time of his court appearance.

According to the Hawks’ statement, his arrest stems from an incident in 2022.

Spangenberg had allegedly informed a sergeant of the Mossel Bay Explosives Unit of an operation scheduled for February 14, 2022, to recover a suspected M26 hand grenade.

“On the day of the operation, the explosives unit was called to a scene next to the N2 highway near KwaNonqaba to examine the device and indeed found it to be an M26,” said Hawks’ spokesperson, Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani.

However, Hani said the investigations showed that the Local Criminal Record Centre had not been to the scene, as per protocol, and that no successful arrest had been made for possession of the identified explosive device.

Upon further investigation, however, it was found that Spangenberg himself had indeed made an arrest on the day of the operation, but that matter was not enrolled on the court roll for some reason.

The suspect Spangenberg had arrested was believed to have been a registered informer, but for who exactly is as yet unclear.

Hani said subsequent inquiries over a span of three years led to the warrant for Spangenberg’s arrest, which was executed at the K9 Langeberg Unit on Wednesday.

The exact details of Spangenberg’s involvement in the matter unclear, as is the person’s that he had arrested.

Following his court appearance, he was released from police custody on R5 000 bail under strict conditions, including that he does not handle any police documents or files against him or anyone else, that he refrains from interacting with witnesses, that he remains in the Western Cape unless otherwise arranged in advance, that he appears for all future court dates and that he refrains from engaging in any criminal activity while the case is ongoing.

The court heard yesterday that a second accused will be added to the matter in due course, but the police are unable to reach him as he is offshore.

It is unclear if the suspect identified in 2022 will turn out to be the second person to be arrested and accused.

The matter was postponed to Wednesday, December 3, for further investigation.

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