Three police officers stationed at the Benoni Flying Squad in Gauteng have been granted R2,000 bail each following their arrest on kidnapping and extortion charges. Stella Mabida, 38, Rodney Ramoraka, 43, and Vusi Nhlapho, 36, appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday after allegedly extorting R42,000 from a salon owner. The officers were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) after they allegedly targeted Nikiwe Dube, the owner of a salon in Norkem Park Mall, on November 24, 2024. According to IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping, the officers questioned Dube about her business documentation and demanded her identity document, which she provided. They then claimed they needed to search her house.
Upon arrival at her residence, the officers allegedly searched the premises, asking for a safe and money. Despite initially demanding R60,000, Dube was coerced into paying R42,000. The incident was later reported to IPID, leading to the officers’ arrest on December 2, 2024. The case has been adjourned to January 30, 2025, for further investigation. The three officers have been released on bail while the investigation continues.
LOOK | Another drug mule, with drugs in his stomach, intercepted at OR Tambo International Airport
Police at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with drug trafficking after he landed in South Africa from São Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday afternoon. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the arrest, saying the man was intercepted during ongoing “safer festive season operations” aimed at cracking down on crime across the country. “Criminals in every corner are feeling the heat,” Mathe said. “At the OR Tambo International Airport, another drug trafficker from São Paulo was arrested.”
According to Mathe, South African Police Service (SAPS) crime intelligence had been monitoring information related to the suspect when he arrived from Brazil just after 12:20 PM. Upon being detained, the 21-year-old was taken to a local hospital where a medical X-ray confirmed that he was carrying foreign objects in his stomach. “Plastic-covered cocaine bullets are being released by the suspect,” Mathe said in an update on Tuesday night, confirming that the process to remove the drugs from the man’s body had begun. The suspect is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court later this week on charges of drug possession and trafficking.
This arrest follows a string of drug-related busts at the airport. Last week, a 44-year-old Brazilian woman was apprehended with cocaine worth R1.9 million wrapped around her body. She was the second drug mule from Brazil arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in just a few days. Another Brazilian man, 24, was arrested on November 24 after being found with more than three kilograms of cocaine worth approximately R1.8 million. Mathe emphasized that police at OR Tambo International Airport are maintaining high vigilance as part of the nationwide festive season crime operations. The arrests highlight ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking operations, particularly those targeting South Africa as a transit point for narcotics coming from South America.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the growing trend of drug smuggling through the country’s major airports as part of broader efforts to ensure safety and security during the holiday season.
