Female police officer Nomthandazo Patience Pali (41), recently sacked from the police service for extortion, will face the full might of the law with accomplice Lydia Simayile (29). The trial against them in the Virginia Regional Court commenced on Monday (22/08).
They face charges of corruption and extortion following their arrest in March. The disgraced officer faces an additional charge of defeating the ends of justice, having already been found guilty of misconduct departmentally.
The two women have been remanded in custody after unsuccessful bail applications. Another application for bail was turned down on 15 July.
Capt. Stephen Thakeng, police spokesperson in the Goldfields, confirmed Pali’s dismissal after the departmental disciplinary committee found her guilty for contravention of the SAPS Code of Conduct and breach of oath of office. She was fired on 26 June after completion of an internal hearing. She was attached to the Meloding police station.Pali and Simayile allegedly colluded to extort money from a man who Simayile had opened a rape case against. Apparently, the man had an affair with the latter.
Thakeng said preliminary investigation revealed the women had planned to extort R15 000 from the man.
“The woman demanded the money in order to drop a rape case against the man.”
He said upon receiving information, the police’s anti-corruption unit set up an entrapment that led to the arrest of both women.
“The police confiscated R5 000, found in the office of the constable.”
He said with ongoing investigation it was discovered that Simayile had already been working with Pali to extort cash from the man she had accused of rape.
The crime of extorting money from rape suspects has spread to Bloemfontein where two sergeants, Tsietsi Antonio Makhetha and Nombi Anny Peter were fingered. The pair, attached to the Mangaung Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, face charges of corruption, extortion, theft and defeating the ends of justice.
They allegedly extorted an undisclosed amount of cash from a 38-year-old man in order to withdraw a rape case. According to the police, they pressurised the woman that opened a case against the man to play along. The pair allegedly took the undisclosed amount of cash for themselves after the male suspect made the payment.
Makhetha and Peter’s arrest came after the rape suspect had blown the whistle. They are out on bail on R1 000 each. Bloemfontein police would not divulge if Peter and Makhetha will face internal disciplinary hearings or not.
The credibility of the Mangaung Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit has been at stake due to officers soliciting bribes in rape cases.
In January last year, another sergeant, Mpolokeng Monenyane, received an effective four years’ imprisonment for similar crimes, extorting R2 000 from a rape suspect to withdraw charges.
