Gauteng police officer sentenced to 20 years for murder - IOL

The Gauteng High Court has sentenced a police officer to 20 years' imprisonment for murder after he killed a man who broke into his property.

A Veereeniging police officer was handed a 20-year sentence for murder in the Gauteng High Court on Wednesday.

The court sentenced Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Mokoena, of Vereeniging SAPS, to 20 years for the 2024 murder of Sibongiseni Cele. Lizzy Suping, spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), said Mokoena assaulted Cele on March 3, 2024, at around 7 pm, for breaking into his property and stealing a television set and jewellery.

“After the assault, Mokoena called the police to this house but refused to open a case of trespassing against Cele, while Cele also refused to open an assault case against Mokoena. According to the police, Cele also declined to be taken to hospital for medical treatment,” Suping said.

She said Cele was found dead at his home by a friend the following day, March 4, 2024.

“Apart from the 20 -year sentence, the Gauteng High Court also declared Mokoena unfit to possess a firearm,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a separate matter, a former Northern Cape senior police officer pleaded guilty to 80 counts of fraud and 80 counts of money laundering after admitting to defrauding the South African Police Service (SAPS) of more than R1.2 million. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Pieter Andries Nel appeared in the Upington Serious Commercial Crimes Court, where he pleaded guilty to all 160 charges. Nel's case was postponed to December 2 for sentencing.

Nel served as the head of police financial services in the ZF Mgcawu District in Upington. His responsibilities included authorising payments to service providers, as well as subsistence and travel claims for officers in the district.

According to the Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Tebogo Thebe, Nel abused his position between 2022 and 2024 by creating and authorising fraudulent payments that were paid into his personal bank account. The transactions amounted to more than R1.2 million.