BOIPATONG – Boipatong Police have once again proven that crime doesn’t pay, especially not within the walls of a police station.

Two men, including a parolee performing community service at the Boipatong Police Station, were sentenced after attempting to commit theft on police premises.

Thanks to the sharp investigative work of the station’s top detectives, justice was swiftly served.

According to Boipatong SAPS spokesperson Constable Selina Mthimkulu, the most shocking case involved Masibulele Kgatos Nzimande, a parolee assigned to clean the station yard as part of his community service.

Instead of using the opportunity to rehabilitate, Nzimande orchestrated a theft from within the very station that was giving him a second chance.

Nzimande didn’t act alone. He was assisted by Thabo John Mara, a Lesotho national, who was later found to be in South Africa illegally.

Both were arrested and convicted. Warrant officer Moss Mogajane, who led the investigation, was praised for his tireless efforts.

His work ensured that Nzimande received a prison sentence of 12 months, while Mara was fined R8 000 or eight months in prison for his role in the crime and for being in the country without proper documentation.

Boipatong Station Commander Lieutenant Colonel Paulina Phonoshe and Captain Tlou Mokhotho, head of detectives, commended their team for their ongoing success in fighting crime.

Mthimkulu also highlighted several other recent convictions handled by the station. A man convicted of business robbery was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

A reckless driver was fined R2 000, with a four-month sentence suspended. A foreign national without legal documentation received an R8 000 fine, suspended for five years, and will be deported.

In another case, a woman who stabbed her stepdaughter in the forehead was sentenced to 10 years, with five years suspended.