Colonel Logan Govender, the station commander of the Norwood police station, was arrested on Tuesday by the Gauteng Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit.

The charges against him include theft, fraud, and defeating the ends of justice, all linked to the alleged illegal confiscation of goods worth R165,000.

The incident that led to Govender’s arrest dates back to 21 August 2020, when he allegedly coordinated a bogus operation involving confiscating stock from a shop.

According to police, Govender had approached the shop owner accompanied by a civilian named Oelof Abraham Du Plooy, who posed as an expert in illicit cigarettes from the Adams and Adams Company.

The duo claimed to have received a tip-off from the Crime Intelligence unit regarding the sale of illicit substances at the establishment.

Upon their arrival at the shop around 10 am, Colonel Govender introduced himself and proceeded to conduct a search, resulting in the confiscation of Al Fakher molasses flavours worth R165,000.

However, in an unusual turn of events, the police did not arrest the shop owner, nor was any formal criminal case established at that time. Instead, the confiscated goods were booked with Saps Johannesburg Central and hastily handed over to Du Plooy under the pretext that they would undergo laboratory testing.

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Their story started to unravel the following day when the shop owner, concerned about the fate of his goods, visited the police station only to find that nothing was there. When he sought answers at Adams and Adams, he was startled to discover that Du Plooy was not a recognised employee of the firm.

Realising he had been duped; the complainant took the brave step of opening a case docket with the authorities.

The Gauteng Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit took swift action, taking over the investigation and compiling the evidence against Govender and Du Plooy. The docket subsequently made its way to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who authorised the decision to prosecute the two suspects.

Colonel Govender’s arrest took place during a work meeting in Protea, Soweto, where officers from the Anti-Corruption Unit executed the warrant.

After his arrest, he appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, which granted him bail set at R3,000.

The case has been remanded to May 29, 2025.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

IOL News

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