Four police officers are in hot water after allegedly stealing R1.6 million from a zama zama paymaster

Four police officers from Barberton are in hot water after allegedly stealing R1.6 million from a zama zama paymaster

The officers, consisting of three men and one woman, raided a house belonging to the paymaster and found R1.8 million stashed in a wardrobe.

However, instead of following standard procedure and booking the confiscated money into the police station, they pocketed R1.6 million and only produced R200,000 upon their return.

This shocking incident has led to the arrest and detention of the four officers at the Nelspruit Police Station on charges of theft and defeating the ends of justice. They’re scheduled to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court today, November 15. The detained son of the paymaster opened a case of theft against the officers, which led to Crime Intelligence stepping in and taking action.

It’s disturbing to note that corruption and illegal activities surrounding zama zamas have been making headlines lately. Just recently, it was reported that weapons used in deadly zama zama turf wars were allegedly rented from members of Lesotho’s security forces.

The ongoing battles for territory between rival gangs have resulted in gruesome violence, including a tavern massacre in Kanana, Orkney.