Direct imprisonment: Police sergeant sentenced for stealing and selling chainsaws booked as evidence
A former Limpopo police sergeant has been sentenced to a year behind bars after he stole chainsaws that had been booked into police custody following a crime prevention operation.
Leonard Madikana Maraka, 51, who was attached to Haenertsburg visible policing unit, was convicted of theft and defeating the administration of justice in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
The court heard that on 15 March 2024, Maraka was on duty with colleagues conducting crime prevention patrols around Haenertsburg when they spotted a suspicious vehicle. The driver failed to stop and sped off, leading police on a chase that ended in Makgeng village in the Mankweng policing area.
The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. A search revealed that the vehicle was loaded with chainsaws suspected to be stolen.
The vehicle was driven back to Haenertsburg police station, where the recovered items were booked into the SAPS 13 register. However, Maraka later stole two of the chainsaws and sold them for personal gain. The items were subsequently recovered.
A case docket of theft and defeating the ends of justice was opened at Haenertsburg SAPS and investigated by the provincial Anti-Corruption Unit. After the investigation was finalised, the matter was enrolled for prosecution in October 2025.
On Friday, the court sentenced Maraka to 12 months’ direct imprisonment without the option of a fine and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The Limpopo provincial commissioner in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, condemned the former officer’s actions, saying the South African Police Service would not tolerate corruption or criminal conduct within its ranks.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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