CAPE TOWN: A former member of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has been sent to prison following his conviction on fraud charges.
Rodney Two-boy Mpapela, 61, a former Hawks captain, was sentenced to six years imprisonment by the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Two years of Mpapela’s sentence was suspended for five years.
Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said Mpapela pocketed R4 000 in ‘trap money’.
“On February 28, 2007, an application for trap money, to the value of R4 000, was made by the members of Mthatha Serious Commercial Crimes Investigation.
“The operation was conducted and the entire trap money was recovered from the target.
“It was registered at the local police station then later booked out by the investigating officers,” Mgolodela said.
She said that on July 8, 2011, Mpapela received the money from the then unit commander who has since retired.
It was reported that the new unit commander was requested to keep the money in a safe.
On March 10, 2016, the case pertaining to the money in question was withdrawn by the state.
On June 15, 2018, the unit commander handed over the trap money to Mpapela to return it to the finance office. The money never reached its intended destination.
Mpapela was adamant the money was not in his possession.
“Information in relation to his denied misconduct was received in 2020 by the Serious Corruption Investigation, for probing, which led to his subsequent arrest on June 28, 2021. Mpapela appeared… (in the) Specialised Commercial Crime in Mthatha where he was released on R5 000 bail.
“Mpapela was convicted on September 30, 2021. The Specialised Commercial Crimes Court handed down to Mpapela a six-year sentence of which two years is suspended for five years, which means that he will be incarcerated for four years,” Mgolodela said.