Former Mpumalanga Warrant Officer Fined for Disposing of Evidence

A retired Mpumalanga police officer has been fined R15,000 or sentenced to three years in prison for disposing of crucial evidence after booking it at a police station.

Samuel Bassie Mahlangu, a former warrant officer, appeared before the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he was found guilty of defeating the ends of justice and tampering with evidence.

Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Thandi Tshabalala said Mahlangu, now 61, was served with a summons on May 14, 2024, following an investigation by the Middelburg-based Serious Corruption Investigation Unit.

The case dates back to August 1, 2023, when members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and National Crime Intelligence (NCI) conducted an operation targeting illegal mining. During the raid, officers seized gold-bearing material and booked it into the South African Police Service (SAPS) exhibit register at the Delmas police station.

Mahlangu was responsible for handling the exhibits.

The following day, an NCI officer went to collect the confiscated material, only to be told by Mahlangu that he had discarded it.

“He further showed them where he had dumped the exhibits in a bin used for garbage at the back of the police station,’’ said Tshabalala.

Mahlangu claimed he was unaware that the items were critical to an ongoing case. However, he also failed to document the disposal in the police occurrence book, a serious violation of procedure.

The Delmas Magistrate’s Court sentenced Mahlangu to three years in prison, with an option to pay a R15,000 fine. Additionally, one year of the sentence—or R5,000—was suspended for five years, provided he does not commit a similar offense during this period.

His conviction highlights ongoing efforts to combat corruption and misconduct within the police force, particularly in cases linked to illegal mining activities.

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Sourced : IOL