Two former cops sentenced to 10 years each for extorting bribe from a printer

The Johannesburg specialised commercial crimes court on Tuesday sentenced two former police officers who extorted R14,000 from a printing business owner to 10 years' imprisonment each after finding them guilty of corruption. 

On November 28 2020 while on duty and in full police uniform, Lehlogonolo Tsagane and Jabulani Ngobeni, both 47, received a tip-off about a suspect branding clothes with the SAPS logo and they immediately went to the scene. 

They demanded R1.5m from Maxwell Chiyangwa but settled for R14,000 after threatening Chiyangwa with arrest.

“Tsagane and Ngobeni instructed him to transfer to his wife’s account, and they then escorted her to the Woodmead shopping complex to withdraw the funds,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said in a statement.

Chiyangwa reported the incident to the authorities and the two police officers were ordered to hand themselves over to the Johannesburg Central police station in September 2022. 

Prosecutor Rhyme Nchabeleng argued in aggravation of sentence and cited the nature of the former policemen’s crimes.

He told the court that the two abused their power and trust as police officers, and exploited their position to extort money from Chiyangwa.

“In considering the sentence, the court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years because the two police officers were first-time offenders, had pleaded guilty and also considered the relatively modest amount in the commission of the offence,” Mjonondwane said.

She said the NPA was making measurable progress against high-profile cases of corruption.

“Almost 700 government officials have been convicted of corruption since 2019. We remain committed to upholding the law and ensuring those who break it, even those sworn to enforce it, face the full might of justice,” she said. 

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