A former police officer has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after a daring R2.3 million heist seven years ago while using an authorised vehicle and was dressed in his uniform.
Sandile Edward Mroqoza, 40, was sentenced in the Blue Down’s Regional Court this week.
The State proved that Mroqoza had been part of the heist which took place in May 2016 in Waarburgh Road, Joostenberg Vlakte, Kraaifontein.
He had been stationed at Nyanga Police Station at the time of his arrest.
Mroqoza and his accomplices had pulled over a cash-in-transit vehicle and robbed the security guards at gunpoint and fled with R2.3 million in cash.
Zinzi Hani of the Hawks said Mroqoza and one of his accomplices had dressed in police uniform during the incident.
“It is reported that G4S members were approached by a police van fitted with blue lights and marked Nyanga Vispol,” she explained.
“The SAPS vehicle forced the truck to stop.
“Two (2) suspects wearing police uniform got out of the front of the vehicle and four (4) other suspects, wearing civilian clothing, alighted from the back.
“The suspects threatened the driver of the armoured vehicle with firearms and forced him to open the back of the vehicle. They reversed the SAPS vehicle with its back to the G4S truck whereby they emptied the drop-safes.
“The driver and the crewman’s firearms were taken.”
Hani explained that one of the victim’s was left wounded and a black bag had been found at Mroqoza’s home in Khayelitsha: “The crewman was slightly injured after being hit on the head with a firearm. An amount of over R2.3 million was taken. Through intensive investigation, information was followed up on May 4, 2016 and a Police Constable stationed at Nyanga Police Station was arrested.
“A black bag containing cash was recovered at his house inside the fridge.“ Further investigation through AVL established that Mroqoza used the police van which indicated that the vehicle was at the crime scene.
Acting provincial head of the Western Cape, Brigadier Piet Bergh, has commended the team for the sentence and he said: “We are sending a message to our own who intend to commit crime that we will leave no stone unturned.”
The latest Independent Police Directorate Investigative Directorate annual report of 2021/2022, they investigated 5 234 cases which involved police members and 59 cases of various criminal offences.