- Two Gauteng police station commanders have each been granted R3 000 bail.
- The two brigadiers joined a host of co-accused in the dock, including alleged underworld boss Nafiz Modack.
- It brings to 28 the number of people arrested in connection with alleged gun licence fraud.
Two Gauteng police station commanders, who were arrested in connection with alleged gun licence fraud, have each been granted R3 000 bail in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court.
Samuel Maredi, a station commander at the Kempton Park police station, and Zoleka Joyce Kuboni, a station commander at Roodepoort, appeared on Wednesday afternoon.
The two brigadiers were arrested on Tuesday, joining a host of co-accused who have already appeared in court.
They include alleged underworld boss Nafiz Modack as well as current and former police officers.
The accused brought two separate bail applications and told the court they knew the charges against them were of a serious nature -and, if released on bail, they would not intimidate witnesses.
They also said, if released on bail, they would not evade trial or disturb public order.
The State did not oppose their bail application.
It also did not have an objection to the accused going back to work because the alleged offences occurred when they were stationed at other police stations.
The matter was postponed to 26 February 2021 for the State to serve the accused with the indictment.
In a statement released on Tuesday, national police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said: "The brigadiers have been arrested for their alleged involvement in fraud, defeating the administration of justice and contravention of the Firearms Control Act in multiple case dockets in the areas of Edenvale, Kempton Park and Norwood in the province of Gauteng.
"The arrest of the two brigadiers brings to 28 the total number of people arrested in connection with these cases, after 26 people were arrested earlier this year," he said.
Naidoo said that, of the 28 suspects, 17 are police officers, of which two are retired, and 11 are civilians.
"These investigations started three years ago when it emerged that, during November 2017, security companies were involved in crimes of extortion in the Western Cape province relating to firearm applications in Gauteng," he said.
He said that, in January 2018, several other people, family and friends in Cape Town obtained their competency and licence to possess a firearm, as well as temporary authorisation to possess a firearm, in an allegedly fraudulent manner.