Cape Town - Seven Bonnievale police officers will appear in court today for allegedly stealing alcohol during lockdown by staging a housebreaking at a liquor store.
National police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said a joint operation between police detectives from Montagu, Bonnievale and Worcester led to the arrest of two sergeants and five constables.
The officers were arrested yesterday after they allegedly faked a complaint of a break-in at a liquor store.
They are expected to appear in Swellendam Magistrate’s Court this morning.
“I can confirm that seven members from the Bonnievale police station have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a housebreaking of a liquor store in the Bonnievale area.
"They are all currently in police custody, facing charges in terms of the regulations of the Disaster Management Act, as well as defeating the ends of justice and also possibly housebreaking with intent to steal and theft,” said Naidoo.
Their arrest came a day after three suspects, aged 43, 33 and 29, allegedly broke into a store in Stellenbosch and stole an undisclosed amount of alcohol before fleeing in a vehicle.
Provincial police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said: “A local security company vehicle on patrol in the area was flagged by a passer-by who alerted the guards to the burglary.
"They drove in the direction the vehicle was alleged to have sped. Traffic officials at a roadblock nearby saw the vehicle approaching and stopped it stolen liquor was identified and three suspects were subsequently arrested.”
The suspects are expected to appear in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court today on charges of burglary and possession of stolen property.
On Saturday, a police investigation into a truck that was hijacked on Thursday while transporting liquor from Paarl to Table Bay Harbour for exportation led to the arrest of a man.
It is believed that the driver was hijacked during a breakdown. The truck and trailer were found in Mitchells Plain without the cargo.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said about 21 suspects had been arrested following 16 incidents of alleged looting in the Western Cape since the start of the lockdown.
Two warrant officers from the Delft police station appeared in court on Thursday after police responded to a tip-off and allegedly pounced on the suspects inside the Strand store.
A liquor store manager and a cashier were also arrested after they allegedly sold liquor valued at R4 000.
In Mpumalanga, two members officers stationed at the Pienaar police station were arrested on Friday night for defeating the ends of justice after the state vehicle they were driving was stopped and found to have been illegally escorting three bakkies, each loaded to capacity with liquor.
The three vehicles allegedly belong to a tavern owner, who was also arrested with two other drivers for contravening the lockdown regulations.
Since Thursday evening, six liquor stores in the Western Cape have been looted: a Picardi Bell in Stellenbosch, Diamond Liquors in Elsies River, a liquor store in Worcester, a Picardi Bell in Wellington, a Picardi Bell in Westridge, Mitchells Plain, and a liquor store in Wynberg.