Police sergeant facing corruption charges granted bail in Vereeniging Court

A police sergeant, Luyanda Louis Mkaza (44), attached to the Vehicle Investigations Unit in Vereeniging, has been granted bail of R5000 by the Vereeniging Magistrates’ Court. He faces three counts of corruption. The charges stem from an incident on July 22, 2023, when the complainant received a call from her husband, who informed her that he had been arrested for the robbery of a motor vehicle at the Meyerton Police Station.

It is alleged that the complainant also had a conversation with the investigating officer, who identified himself as Louis Mkaza. He purportedly demanded a payment of R10,000 to ensure that the case would not proceed to court.

The complainant managed to gather only R4000, which her husband had left for her, and arranged to meet Mkaza for the payment. During their meeting, Mkaza was reportedly accompanied by his wife. The complainant promised to provide the remaining R6000 when her husband appeared in court on July 24, 2023.

However, when her husband made his court appearance on the designated date, the complainant allegedly handed over the outstanding R6000 to Mkaza while inside the courtroom.

Subsequently, the complainant realized that her husband was not being released, and the case was repeatedly postponed. She decided to report Mkaza to the Gauteng Anti-Corruption Unit. As a result of her complaint, Mkaza was arrested at his workplace on September 27, 2023.

Following the granting of bail, the court scheduled the matter for further investigation and postponed it to October 31, 2023.