Ex-Crime Intelligence Officer Ordered to Reimburse Fraudulently Gained Funds

A wave of accountability has swept through the South African Police Service (SAPS), as a former Crime Intelligence officer, Warrant Officer Wilson Thanduxolo Buqa, has been found guilty of fraud. This judgement, passed this week in the Kokstad Regional Court, serves as a stern reminder of the law applying to all, even those tasked with upholding it.

Buqa, assigned to Crime Intelligence in Kokstad, was responsible for coordinating and managing registered informers within the force. However, according to Spokesperson for the Hawks, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, Buqa diverged from procedure and submitted claims for his registered informers rather than those who had actually provided information but weren't officially registered.

Within the timeframe of May 2014 and December 2015, the ex-officer would maneuver both names and case numbers of detained suspects throughout the Harry Gwala District in KwaZulu-Natal. The unregistered informers' claims were falsely processed by the Crime Intelligence office, designed to line Buqa's pockets.

The comprehensive investigation exposed that these illicit activities cost SAPS a total of R122,500. The Hawks stepped in to rectify the situation; charges were filed, a lengthy court proceeding followed. Following numerous court appearances, Buqa has been sentenced to five years imprisonment, suspended for five years, granted he repays in full, the amount defrauded from the SAPS.

Buqa is obliged to make monthly installments of R2,500, with payments commencing in October 2023. Major General Obed Ngwenya, head of the Eastern Cape Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, praised the decisive conviction and sentencing of the former policemen.