Update
GEORGE NEWS - The George Regional Court acquitted former Thembalethu police captain Mzole Crosby Mtabati (56), whom the Hawks arrested in March 2022 on charges of tampering with evidence.
After the State led its evidence, Mtabati's legal representative brought an application in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a court to discharge an accused if there is insufficient evidence to warrant a conviction.
The magistrate granted the application, ruling that the State had failed to prove its case.
Mtabati's case, which had dragged on for more than three years, stemmed from allegations that he had tampered with evidence connected to a 2020 business robbery at the Puma Garage in Thembalethu. He was also facing an additional charge of destruction of evidence in a separate murder case in Tabata Street.
Following his arrest, the SAPS suspended and later dismissed Mtabati after a disciplinary hearing. Last week's court ruling has now brought the matter to a close.
Mtabati told George Herald he is relieved the case has been laid to rest and he wants the public to know he has been acquitted.
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