‘No one is above the law’: SAPS on top cop’s arrest

National spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS) Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, addresses members of the press outside the Randburg magistrate's court, were a 59 year old Lieutenant-General is expected to appear before the court on alleged charges of sexually grooming a sixteen-year-old and raping an eighteen-year-old in Sandton.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says it is disappointed by the arrest of a 59-year-old senior police officer, who holds the rank of lieutenant general, but says the case demonstrates that gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) will not be tolerated within its ranks.

The senior police official is expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate's Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday, September 22, on charges relating to the alleged grooming of a 16-year-old girl between July and August 2026 and the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman at a hotel in Sandton in May 2026.

The officer was arrested on Monday night, by members of the Commission’s Recommendations Task Team (CRTT).

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the officer is facing charges relating to sexual offences.

“The senior officer faces charges relating to the alleged sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl between July and August 2026, as well as the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman,” Mathe said.

Mathe said the matters were reported to the SAPS in recent months, after which the Commission’s Recommendations Task Team began investigating.

“These matters were reported to us as the SAPS in recent months, and the Commission’s Recommendations Task Team started with their investigation, and this is where the investigation has brought us today,” she said.

Mathe said she would not provide further details about the allegations because the matters were still before the courts.

“With regard to the sexual grooming case, it’s in relation to a 16-year-old girl. I won’t go into further detail because these matters must still be ventilated before court,” she said.

“With regard to the rape case, it’s in relation to the 18-year-old young lady who was allegedly raped by this senior officer.”

Mathe said GBVF was a broader societal challenge but stressed that the police service had a particular responsibility to address it within its own ranks.

“GBVF is not merely a matter for one institution or one component of society. It is a societal challenge that requires a whole-of-society response,” she said.

“But as the police service, we recognise that we carry a particular responsibility. We are the institution that communities turn to when they are victims of crime.”