Johannesburg – Two members of the South African Police Service have been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by the Kempton Park Magistrate’s court, the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA) has said.
The officers were previously stationed at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).
Raesibe Melda Ndukula and Faith Makhosazane Mtambo were both charged together with a South African Airways (SAA) flight attendant, Lebogang Paulinah Tshabalala, who entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the state.
Tshabalala was sentenced to a five year, wholly suspended sentence on condition that she will turn state witness and testify against the two officers, the NPA said in a statement.
The officers were convicted on charges of contravention of the Drug and Drug Trafficking Act (possession of drugs), defeating the administration of justice, and theft in August 2020.
According to the NPA, on 5 March 2013, Tshabalala was a flight attendant on a flight from ORTIA to Sao Paolo. The flight returned three days later on 8 March 2013and Tshabalala was arrested on arrival. This is after she was found in possession of drugs by customs officials from the South African Revenue Service(SARS).
The officials handed over the drugs to Ndukula, who in turn stole the drugs, together with Mtambo instead of retaining them as exhibits.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Jacob Serepo, said drug related offences are prevalent in ORTIA, that the number of drugs involved, which is approximately 1400 grams, should be considered in passing a just sentence.
He pleaded with the court to pass a sentence that frowns upon criminal conduct, especially perpetrated by the accused persons who were police officers at the time of the incident.
“The accused had abused the authority that they ha d as police officers and as such acted dishonestly,” he said.
After their conviction and sentence, the officers successfully applied for leave to appeal against both.
They will return to court to apply for bail pending their appeal to the High Court on a date yet to be announced.
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