A retired police officer from Mpumalanga, South Africa, has been fined R15,000 or faces three years in prison after being found guilty of defeating the ends of justice and tampering with evidence in an illegal mining case.
Samuel Bassie Mahlangu, 61, appeared before the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he was sentenced for disposing of crucial evidence related to an investigation into illicit mining operations.
According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Thandi Tshabalala, Mahlangu was served with a summons on May 14, 2024, following an investigation by the Middelburg-based serious corruption unit.
The case stemmed from an August 1, 2023, operation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and National Crime Intelligence (NCI), during which officers seized gold-bearing material and registered it as evidence at the Delmas Police Station.
Mahlangu, who was responsible for handling exhibits, signed for the confiscated materials. However, when an NCI officer returned the next day to retrieve them, Mahlangu claimed he had discarded the items, insisting he did not realise they were important evidence.
Investigators also discovered that Mahlangu failed to record the disposal in the police station’s occurrence book, further raising suspicions about his actions.
The court found Mahlangu guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison, with the option to pay a R15,000 fine. Additionally, one year (or R5,000) of his sentence was suspended for five years, provided he does not commit a similar offence within that period.
