Police Sergeant caught taking R200 bribe from suspected drug dealer during operation

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KZN Police Commissioner Lt General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said he is disappointed by the level of corruption and disrespect shown by some of his members in the blue uniform in being part of criminals instead of bringing them to book.

Mkhwanazi said this during an operation at Umbilo area late Friday night.

He said that it was during their operations on Noble Road in Umbilo, when they noticed something suspicious going on in between occupants in a police vehicle from Durban Central and a civilian male outside a block of flats on Noble Road in Umbilo.

They continued to monitor the interaction between the officer and the said suspect.

The suspect then allegedly leaned on to the officer in the vehicle. Upon realizing that colleagues saw the interaction and approached him, he then threw something outside the car through a window.

Police Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala said the 39-year-old Sergeant, was confronted and placed under arrest for corruption and defeating the ends of justice after an amount of R200-00, which is what he is suspected to have thrown, was retrieved from the drain.

“The man who handed the money to the police was subsequently caught with drugs. The civilian was ordered to take the operational team to his apartment where they found a second man. The flat was searched and police found pieces of Cocaine and R7000-00 cash suspected to be the proceeds of crime. Two men, aged 52, were placed under arrest for possession of drugs” said Col Gwala.

Mkhwanazi said the will face the consequences for his actions.

“We often see videos or pictures or receive information of police officers engaging in such criminal activities and we are unfortunately almost always never able to prove that such police officers are actually engaged in criminal activities”, said General Nhlahla Mkhwanazi.

“I accompanied those hard working members last night as a show of support and to boost the morale of our hard working members throughout the province as well as the country and these arrests last night, especially that of the police officer, is a giant leap for those hard working police officers to rid our ranks of corrupt elements”, added General Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi added that the two other officers who were with the arrested officer in the vehicle will also face consequences within SAPS.

All the three suspects are due to appear before the Durban Magistrates Court on Monday, 18 July 2022.