- Two police officers have been arrested for corruption.
- The officers allegedly demanded a bribe from the mother of a man they arrested.
- The man was arrested under the Immigration Act.
Two North West police officers have been arrested for corruption after they allegedly demanded a bribe to drop charges against a suspected illegal immigrant.
The provincial Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit arrested the two officers, Sergeant Ruth Nkotsoe, 42, and Constable Mosimanekgosi Leburu, 34, on Tuesday and they appeared in the Rustenburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
The officers arrested an 18-year-old man on Tuesday, 3 May in Marikana for contravening the Immigration Act, police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said.
"The police officers then initiated communication and demanded an amount of R500 from the suspect's mother for the release of her son. The suspect was taken to court for an appearance on Thursday, 5 May 2022. However, the case was not placed on the roll and the suspect was released," Mokgwabone added.
However, the police officers allegedly held the man's passport and demanded R500 for its release.
"The matter was reported to the police and that resulted in the arrest of the two police officers on Tuesday. The accused were each granted R5 000 bail and will appear again in court on Tuesday, 27 September 2022," Mokgwabone said.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Sello Kwena said "no mercy will be shown" to police officers who "act in a manner that is dishonest and tarnishes the image" of the police service.
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