Two Limpopo government officials appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where they are facing charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
Morongwa Joyce Thobejane,53, a stenographer at the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court, and Warrant Officer Matladi Jeridah Chokoe, 45, who is attached to Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, were arrested on October 7, 2024.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Limpopo, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said their arrest follow an intensive investigation that began in February 2020.
Malabi-Dzhangi said the allegations stem from a January 2020 case where the complainant was a suspect in a case of conspiracy to commit murder and the duo met with her to discuss the contents of the docket and allegedly conspired to destroy the evidence.
“It is alleged that Thobejane and Chokoe met with the complainant and offered to make the case "disappear" in exchange for payment.
“The complainant initially paid R1,000 to the accused, who later demanded an additional R20,000,” Malabi-Dzhangi explained.
Malabi-Dzhangi said the complainant reported the matter to the authorities which prompted an investigation that led to the arrest of Thobejane and Chokoe.
“The complainant was subsequently convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to pay a fine of R10,000 or serve six months in prison,” she added.
The case against Thobejane and Chokoe has been postponed to January 30, 2025 for a pre-trial conference.
They both are currently out on bail of R2,000 each.
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