A former Mpumalanga police officer already in custody for alleged stock theft has appeared in court on fresh charges after allegedly using a police fleet card to make personal transactions worth about R8,000.
Bafo Siyabonga Cindi, 35, was arrested by the Hawks at Ermelo Correctional Centre on Thursday, where he is being detained pending trial in two separate stock theft cases registered in Perdekop and Greylingstad.
The new charges of fraud and theft stem from allegations that Cindi misused a South African Police Service (SAPS) FNB fleet card while working as an investigating officer in the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit in Standerton.
The Hawks said the investigation was launched in 2024 after the matter was reported by the unit. Investigators from the Hawks’ Secunda Serious Corruption Investigation team subsequently prepared the case docket for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which authorised an application for his arrest.
Cindi, who was dismissed from SAPS in May 2026, appeared before the Standerton Magistrate’s Court on 22 October. The case was postponed to 5 November to allow him to obtain legal representation.
He had previously been denied bail in the separate stock theft matters.
Acting Mpumalanga Hawks Provincial Head Brigadier Bruce Davenport said the arrest reinforced the principle that law enforcement officers must be held accountable for alleged wrongdoing.
“No uniform, badge or rank places anyone above the law. Those who abuse their authority and misuse state resources for personal enrichment will face the full might of the law,” Davenport said.
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