Badge & Bananas: SAPS Officer Arrested for Alleged Supermarket Shoplifting in Mpumalanga

A 59-year-old South African Police Service (SAPS) officer has been arrested on a charge of shoplifting following a bizarre incident at a supermarket in Barberton, Mpumalanga, that has left the police service red-faced. The alleged crime? Adding extra bananas to a pre-weighed and priced bag.

According to provincial police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe, the incident occurred on Saturday, 31 January, around 6:30 PM. A security officer at the store’s entrance received an alert from the control room that a male customer was seen adding extra bananas into a plastic bag after the item had already been weighed at the pay point.

The suspect, who was later confirmed to be a police officer, was apprehended. He has been charged and was scheduled to appear before the Barberton Magistrate’s Court.

Police Management Condemns “Dent” to Service Image

The arrest has prompted a swift and stern response from top brass. The acting provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, condemned the incident, stating that such misconduct “could not be tolerated.”

Mkhwanazi emphasised that the act “dented the image of the police” and assured that “the law would take its course without fear or favour,” signalling that the officer would not receive special treatment.

The incident, while seemingly minor in value, strikes a significant blow to public trust at a time when the integrity of law enforcement is under intense scrutiny. It underscores a breach of the fundamental principle officers are sworn to uphold: upholding the law, not breaking it over a handful of fruit. For the SAPS, it’s an embarrassing case of going bananas in all the wrong ways.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com