Firearms stolen from Petrusville police station: Thief jailed for 35 years, officers face trial
Benjamin Motsoane has been sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment for stealing firearms and ammunition from the Petrusville police station.
Image: File picture
THE KIMBERLEY Regional Court has sentenced Benjamin Motsoane to 35 years’ imprisonment for stealing firearms and ammunition from the Petrusville police station.
Motsoane pleaded guilty to the charges, admitting his role in the theft that took place on November 6, 2023.
The investigation, led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), revealed that two police officers stationed at Petrusville SAPS were also allegedly involved in the theft.
A multi-disciplinary team comprising the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Crime Intelligence, and the Kimberley Flying Squad arrested Motsoane and five other suspects — including two Petrusville police sergeants aged 44 and 43 — in June 2024.
The stolen firearms were later recovered in Senekal and Marquard in the Free State.
Motsoane’s sentence breaks down as follows:
- Theft of firearms and ammunition: 10 years’ imprisonment
- Unlawful possession of a firearm without a licence: 5 years’ imprisonment
- Unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm: 13 years’ imprisonment
- Unlawful possession of ammunition: 2 years’ imprisonment
- Contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act: 5 years’ imprisonment
The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The provincial head of the Hawks in the Northern Cape, Major-General Stephen Mabuela, welcomed the sentence, saying: “Stealing from the police station and being aided by our own members is the biggest betrayal, which borders on treason. We are hoping for hefty sentences for the other accused.”
The trial against the remaining accused is scheduled to proceed from November 17 to 21 in the De Aar Regional Court.