Top cops guilty of fraud, cover-up

Mlilwana was the branch commander of the crime investigation division at KwaNobuhle at the time, while Mapena was station commissioner at KwaNobuhle.

In October 2010, Mlilwana unlawfully used an SAPS vehicle on an unofficial journey, all the while pretending that he had travelled to Mount Frere to testify in a court case.

To cover his tracks, he then convinced a detective at the Mount Frere branch, Mlindeli Dyani, to furnish him with an affidavit to that effect.

It emerged in court that Mlilwana had been asked to testify in the disciplinary hearing of Warrant Officer Patrick Grootboom between October 12 and October 16 2010, and did not want to.

He informed the disciplinary hearing he had to testify in Mount Frere during that period and could not attend the hearing.

He then documented his journey in the SAPS logbook.

It was later discovered that the Mount Frere case had been finalised in March 2006.

Mlilwana, in fact, used his work vehicle on October 12 2010 to travel from Uitenhage to Mount Frere, Mpofu and the Libode and Misty Mountain areas. He returned to Uitenhage four days later.

In June 2011, Grootboom reported his suspicions to the KwaNobuhle SAPS and a case of fraud was opened.

Meanwhile, Mapena tried to conceal relevant logbooks.

He insisted the logbooks had been sent to the provincial inspectorate.

When investigating officers came to his office to try to retrieve the files, Mapena refused to hand them over and chased the detectives away.

The provincial inspectorate said they never took possession of the logbooks, which have since disappeared.

Magistrate Hannes Claassen found Mlilwana guilty on two counts of fraud and one of obstructing the administration of justice.

Mapena was convicted on a count of obstructing the administration of justice.

Advocate Tjaart van Zyl prosecuted.