Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on Tuesday declared that corruption within the South African Police Service (Saps) will not be tolerated, calling for internal disciplinary measures to be urgently instituted against police officers found guilty of corruption.

He expressed concern and disappointment at a recent case involving four police officers from the Intelligence Unit, alongside an employee of First National Bank and a civilian, noting that this had “cast a dark shadow” over the integrity of law enforcement agencies.

Mchunu said in January a complainant reported an incident where individuals dressed in civilian clothes and purporting to be police officers approached him.

He said the complainant was then subjected to physical assault, and was coerced into allowing these individuals to access his home in Fourways, where his phones were confiscated, and a sum of R180 000 was transferred from his accounts into theirs.

“The actions of these individuals are a betrayal of the public's trust and a violation of the very principles that the Saps stands for - honour, integrity, and service. The worst thing is that these are members of the Crime Intelligence Unit, we condemn their criminal activity in the strongest terms they deserve,” Mchunu said.

He noted that such conduct was not only criminal but deeply dishonourable.

“…we will not allow any further erosion of confidence that the public has in law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Mchunu assured the public that the Saps would continue to root out corruption in its ranks, assuring citizens that the Saps remained committed to building a police service that was trusted by the people it served.

“I would like to commend the investigating officers who worked diligently on these cases, ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice. I would also like to commend the affected member of the public who reported this matter,” he said.

He explained that the fight against corruption was a shared responsibility, and he urged the public to continue to report any suspicious or criminal activities, particularly those involving law enforcement officers.

He noted that this incident posed to Saps the challenge of scrutinising the recruitment of police officers.