More police officers have appeared in court this week for the wrong reasons. The latest incident involves five police sergeants from the Vanderbijlpark police station. They are facing charges of corruption and extortion. The case was postponed from this week to next week.

More police officers in court for the wrong reasons

According to Lt Col Granville Meyer, sergeants Johannes Thakhisi (45), Ntombeko Seya (44), Mpho Molatedi (39), Nhlanhla Sithole (42) and Tlokotsi Kganya (36) appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Regional Court on 7 July 2026. The accused officials, all members of the Vanderbijlpark SAPS Task Team, were arrested following an investigation by officers attached to the Hawks’ Vaal Serious Corruption Investigation (SCI) Unit. They were following up on allegations that stem from an incident that took place on 27 October 2024.

Five sergeants face corruption and extortion charges

Lt Col Granville Meyer says there are allegations that the five officers had in 2024 conducted a raid at a local business, Oreo Supermarket, under the pretext of searching for illicit cigarettes. He says they then allegedly demanded gratification of R100,000 from the business owner to avoid arrest. “Following negotiations involving a third party, the demanded amount was reduced to R25,000.00,” he added. It was then that the complainant secretly blew the whistle by contacting the Hawks’ Vaal Serious Corruption Investigation.

Undercover sting operation

The police spokesperson says an application for an undercover sting operation was authorised. The suspects, however, did not collect the cash on the day agreed to and this was due to operational delays. He says the probe continued rigorously in the background.

Reports of threats and intimidation

Meyer says there were also reports of threats and intimidation against the complainant. This was then added to the case file. He says upon completion of the probe, the case docket was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), where authorisation was obtained for criminal prosecution. He added that summonses were served on the 5 police members on 18 June 2026, compelling their appearance in court yesterday. They’ll appear again on 13 July for further investigation.