Fire Destroys Dockets At Barberton Police Station After Arrest Of 4 Cops

A fire broke out at the archive office of the Barberton Police Station on Thursday, destroying archived dockets. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli stated that the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the incident, but the full extent of the damage has yet to be confirmed.

Fire Incident Details

The fire started around 11 am, and members of the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) noticed smoke emanating from the office and promptly alerted authorities. Firefighters were called to the scene and successfully extinguished the blaze. While the exact number of burnt dockets is still unknown, some archived documents were indeed destroyed.

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Acting Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, announced that a “formidable team of experts” has been assigned to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.

“We cannot at this time link this incident to the recent arrests of four members,” Mkhwanazi said, referring to an unrelated case being handled by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Unit (Hawks). The Commissioner expressed confidence that the enquiry would provide clarity on the incident.

Recent Arrests

On Wednesday, Morongwa Joyce Thobejane, 53, a stenographer at the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court, and Warrant Officer Matladi Jeridah Chokoe, 45, attached to the Hawks, appeared in the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. They are accused of soliciting a bribe from an accused individual to make her case “disappear.”

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The arrests, made in October, involve charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Limpopo, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, stated that the allegations stem from a January 2020 case in which the complainant was a suspect in a conspiracy to commit murder.

Thobejane and Chokoe allegedly offered to make the case “disappear” in exchange for payment, with the complainant initially paying R1,000 and later being asked for an additional R20,000.

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