SAPS Lieutenant General Arrested on Sexual Grooming and Assault Charges

A 59-year-old South African Police Service Lieutenant General was arrested on Monday by a special task team on charges of sexually grooming a 16-year-old girl and assaulting an 18-year-old woman. The arrest was carried out by members of the Commissions Recommendations Task Team, a unit that investigates matters arising from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into alleged cartel infiltration of the justice system. The senior officer faces charges relating to the alleged sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl between July and August 2026. He is also accused of assaulting an 18-year-old woman at a hotel in Sandton in May 2026. The officer, who has not been officially identified, is scheduled to appear at the Randburg Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane welcomed the arrest and condemned the alleged conduct. "Police officers are entrusted with protecting women and children. They cannot themselves be implicated in conduct that undermines this responsibility," Dimpane stated. She emphasized that rank cannot place anyone above the law.