6 Beitbridge Police Officers to Appear in Court After Being Arrested for Helping Cigarette Smugglers

• Six SAPS officers are expected to appear in the Musina Magistrate court on Monday after being arrested for corruption
• The six accused reportedly assisted smugglers in transporting counterfeit and illicit cigarettes into South Africa
• The officers had enriched themselves by accepting brides and gratifications from the smugglers in exchange for giving them safe passage into South Africa

LIMPOPO - Six members of the SA Police Service were nabbed after corruption charges after being found guilty of allowing criminals to smuggle illicit cigarettes into the country.

The accused reportedly allowed the smugglers a safe passage from Zimbabwe into South Africa in exchange for bribes.

According to TimesLIVE, the police confirmed the incident saying that the arrests were made after years of investigations. Per the publication, Police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said the investigation began following tipoffs from public members concerned about the officers deployed in the Beitbridge area.

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Reports suggest that the investigations were carried out over a prolonged period as investigators tried to dig deeper into the matter and get the full information. The officers are accused of enriching themselves through illegal channels. The statement read:

"These arrests are a culmination of intense investigations following the receipt of several complaints from the public about police officials who were deployed along the border line being involved in corrupt activities by assisting the syndicates involved in illicit cigarette smuggling.

"These activities reportedly occurred for a prolonged period by the members who enriched themselves at the expense of the state resources."

Police shoot rubber bullets at Makro employees protesting for better pay, SA split: “They want to loot”

In more news, Briefly News also reported that on Friday, workers from Makro protested outside the company's premises in Germiston, east of Johannesburg.

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They were striking to pressure the company to increase their wages and improve their working condition.

The strike started off peacefully but soon escalated as the South African Police Service (SAPS) officers and the metro police from Ekurhuleni cleared the crowd blocking traffic on Herman Street and R24 highway.

Source: Briefly News