- A 59-year-old off-duty police officer was arrested after allegedly adding extra bananas worth R43.80 to a pre-weighed bag, prompting both a criminal case and internal disciplinary action.
- Provincial leadership says even low-value dishonesty damages public trust in the South African Police Service and undermines the integrity expected of officers.
- The incident comes as Mpumalanga police also report a major success at the Lebombo Port of Entry, where 17kg of crystal meth worth R4.25 million was intercepted and a trafficker was sentenced.
An off-duty member of the South African Police Service is facing the legal consequences of what authorities describe as a minor supermarket incident that has nevertheless drawn major condemnation from provincial leadership.
The 59-year-old officer was arrested on Saturday evening, 31 January 2026, after store security at a local supermarket flagged suspicious activity at the weighing station in the fresh produce section.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane Mpe, the control room alerted guards after noticing that the customer had already weighed and priced a bag of bananas, but was later seen adding more fruit before heading to pay.
“According to reports, a customer was observed adding extra bananas to a plastic bag after the produce had already been weighed and priced,” said Nonyane Mpe.
“Upon being intercepted and questioned by security, a re-weighing of the fruit confirmed the discrepancy. The value of the additional unpriced bananas amounted to R43.80.” While the amount involved is small, police say the principle is not.
The officer was detained and handed over to the police, where a formal case of shoplifting was opened. The matter was expected to be heard at the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 2 February 2026, but it was not enrolled at this stage.
Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi said the conduct cannot be excused simply because the value is low. “Such misconduct can never be tolerated as it dents the image of the police. The law will have to take its course without fear or favour,” he said.
The SAPS has emphasised that the member will be subjected to the same legal standards as any private citizen, alongside internal disciplinary processes.
Major border bust in the same province
In contrast to the small-scale supermarket case, police in Mpumalanga say they recently dealt with a far larger criminal enterprise at the province’s main border crossing.
A 39-year-old Mozambican national, Jorge Salomao Chimene, was sentenced to prison after attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into South Africa through the Lebombo border.
Members of the South African Police Service stopped a suspicious minibus in June 2024. Chimene was the sole occupant. A thorough search uncovered a sophisticated concealment system, with drugs hidden inside multiple compartments, including speakers.
According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, officers recovered 17 containers of crystal methamphetamine weighing 17kg, with an estimated street value of R4.25 million. The case was investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.
“Following the arrest, the case was handed over to the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit. The Hawks successfully opposed bail, arguing that the intricate concealment of the drugs proved a clear and premeditated intent to smuggle narcotics into the Republic,” Nkosi said.
Chimene pleaded guilty to possession of drugs and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, with three years effective and seven years suspended for three years on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence.
Mpumalanga Head of the Hawks Major General Nico Gerber welcomed the conviction but raised concerns about the effective jail term. “It is concerning that someone whose mission was to destroy the well-being of South Africans will spend only three years behind bars,” he said. “Distributing drugs to the citizens of the Republic is extremely serious and destroys lives.”
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