Johannesburg - A man pleaded guilty in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court on Thursday to the murder of senior Gauteng police officer Maj-Gen Tirhani Maswanganyi, the National Prosecuting Authority said.
Sphiwe Petros Madakane, 33, was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, five of which were suspended, spokesman Nathi Mncube said.
Madakane and his co-accused, a 52-year-old warrant officer from the Vaal, were arrested on January 9 for allegedly plotting to kill investigators probing Maswanganyi's murder.
Maswanganyi was a cluster commander in Johannesburg when he was murdered near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, in June. His hands and feet were bound. A police patrol found Maswanganyi's abandoned Isuzu bakkie next to the road.
A police uniform and police identification card were in the bakkie, which prompted a search.
Madakane had not only been implicated in the alleged plot to kill investigators, but was also linked to Maswanganyi's murder.
Six people have been arrested in connection with the murder, including three SA National Defence Force officers.
Sapa