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- Two Hawks officers have been arrested in connection with allegedly demanding a bribe from an Eastern Cape businessman.
- The officers allegedly requested R400 000 to make a docket disappear.
- They were arrested during a sting operation and were found with R10 000 cash on them.
Two Eastern Cape Hawks officials will appear in court to face charges of corruption after they allegedly attempted to solicit a R400 000 bribe.
The sergeant and captain, both in their 40s, will appear in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Friday morning after they were arrested by their colleagues during an undercover operation on Thursday.
Allegations are that, on 31 July 2023, a complainant received a call from one of the suspects who introduced himself as a Hawks official at the rank of a captain in Gauteng, wanting to meet the complainant because the Department of Labour had opened a case against his company.
According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, on 4 August, the complainant allegedly received another call from the same official demanding an amount of R400 000, which the complainant had reportedly said he did not have.
"The complainant further indicated that, on 5 September, he received another call from the very same official securing their meeting in Mthatha to bring an amount of R50 000 for the docket to be destroyed and thus close the case," said Mogale.
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The matter was reported to the Hawks and an undercover operation was conducted.The two officers were arrested immediately after the meeting and they allegedly had R10 000 in their possession.
Provincial Hawks head Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya expressed his satisfaction at the swift response against officers who "bring the name of the Hawks into disrepute".
