Polokwane – A 51-year-old police sergeant, Leonard Madikana Maraka, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for stealing two chainsaws.
Maraka was sentenced in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 6 February 2026, for theft and Defeating the Administration of Justice.
The court heard that on 15 March 2024, Sergeant Maraka and other policemen were conducting crime prevention duties around Haenertsburg when they spotted a suspicious vehicle.
When instructed to stop, the driver sped off, resulting in a chase that ended in Makgeng village in Mankweng, Limpopo.
The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
Upon inspection, the vehicle was found loaded with chainsaws suspected of being stolen.
The vehicle was driven back to Haenertsburg SAPS, where the recovered items were booked into the SAPS 13 register.
However, the court heard that the sergeant stole two of the chainsaws and sold them for personal gain.
The stolen items were later recovered.
After a thorough probe by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit, the case was presented to the Senior State Prosecutor, who issued a notice to appear at court J175 on 24 October 2025.
Sergeant Maraka made several appearances in court facing charges of theft and defeating the ends of justice.
The matter was concluded with a guilty finding, and the bent cop was sentenced on Friday.
The court declared Maraka unfit to possess a firearm.
Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, strongly condemned the now-dismissed sergeant’s conduct, stating that the SA Police Service does not tolerate corruption or criminal behaviour within its ranks.
