A FEMALE Correctional Services official briefly appeared in the Vanrhysdorp Magistrates Court on Thursday, 5 January after she was caught with drugs worth more than R1,2 million.
Lungelwa Mantshinga (41) was caught red-handed while packing the drugs together with her 20-year-old son.
She appeared together with her son, Thandolwam Mantshinga, and two other suspects Donat Mukundama (33) and Leroy Adams (21).
The case has been postponed to 12 January for bail information. The accused remain in custody.
Correctional Services acting national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale, who attended the search and seizure operation held at Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town on Wednesday evening, said he was disappointed by the actions of the officer.
“She was actually apprehended while she was in the act of packing at her house. A tip-off came from a roadblock done by Metro police. That roadblock led SAPS, ourselves as Correctional Services and Metro Police to her house,” he said.
The officer was arrested on Tuesday. Members of the Provincial Traffic Department in the Western Cape stopped a Mazda sedan on the N7 between Vanrhynsdorp and Klawer and conducted a search. This led to the arrest of a 33-year-old Congolese national and a 21-year-old South African citizen with mandrax tablets valued at R51 600.
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The arrest led cops to an address in Vanrhynsdorp where a Correctional Services official was found in the act of packaging drugs for distribution purposes. The drugs consisting of mandrax tablets and tik are valued at more than R1,2 million. Cops also confiscated cash amounting to R17 800, which they believe to be the proceeds of drug trafficking.
