A high-ranking officer, who has been arrested three times since early 2022 in three separate tender fraud cases, is still employed by the police, reveals a News24 report.

Brigadier Stephinah Mahlangu, who used to work in the police’s supply chain management division, has since been moved to the inspectorate division.

She has neither been suspended, nor faced a disciplinary hearing.

The first two cases in which the NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) implicated her, date back to her time in the supply chain management division.

In that division, according to the state, Mahlangu was entrusted with the responsibility of procuring goods or services for the police. Her first arrest was in February 2022, along with 14 others, for allegedly defrauding the police of more than R1.9m through personal protective equipment tenders during the covid-19 pandemic.

A few months later, in June, she was arrested and charged with fraud and corruption relating to four contracts worth R960 000 in the National Police Commissioner’s corporate services office that were allegedly irregularly awarded.

Her most recent arrest, on 30 July, along with police officers Colonel Meriam Garekoe and Colonel Nehemia Maleka, was in connection with a 2019 R79m police tender for the provision of office furniture in KZN, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng.

Mahlangu and her co-accused formed part of the bid evaluation committee (BEC) that assessed the bids for the tender, according to the state’s allegations.

It alleged she made false submissions to the BEC, which resulted in the R79m tender being awarded to KJP Traders.

In an affidavit submitted in her bail application, Mahlangu said she intended to plead not guilty to the charges.

Full News24 report