A 59-year-old SAPS lieutenant general was arrested at a strip club in Sandton on Monday, 21 September, over the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman and the sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl.
According to Daily Maverick, the arrest was carried out by the Commissions Recommendations Task Team (CRTT), the unit set up to pursue criminal cases flowing from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Police announced the arrest in a statement late on Monday night. The officer has not been named.
The senior officer was expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 22 September, on charges of sexual offences.
The outcome of that appearance, including whether he will apply for bail, had not been made public at the time of publishing.
What is the lieutenant general accused of?
Police allege the officer raped an 18-year-old woman at a hotel in Sandton in May 2026. He is separately accused of sexually grooming a 16-year-old girl between July and August 2026.
Both women are protected from identification because of the nature of the allegations and, in one case, the complainant’s age.
Sexual grooming of a child is a standalone criminal offence under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act of 2007.
The law covers anyone under 18, and it criminalises conduct aimed at preparing a child for sexual activity, even where no physical sexual act has taken place.
Why has SAPS not named the officer?
EWN reported that the officer cannot be named at this stage, given the sensitivity of the allegations.
Naming an accused person in a sexual offences matter before they have pleaded can also risk identifying complainants, particularly where a minor is involved.
What did SAPS say about the arrest?
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said the case would be handled like any other, regardless of the suspect’s position in the service.
“Rank, position or seniority cannot place anyone above the law. Where credible allegations of criminal conduct are brought against a police officer, they must be investigated without fear or favour.”
Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, Acting National Police Commissioner
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the arrest sent a message about how the service treats its own members.
“The arrest demonstrates that Saps will not shield members facing serious allegations of criminal conduct, irrespective of their rank or position.”
Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, SAPS national spokesperson
How is the Madlanga Commission linked?
The Madlanga Commission was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2025 and is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
It is probing alleged collusion between politicians, senior police officers, prosecutors and organised crime, after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi raised allegations of political interference in July 2025.
EWN reported that the arrested lieutenant general has also been implicated in other corruption-related matters before the commission. No details of those matters have been made public, and he has not been charged in connection with them.
A pattern of arrests by the task team
The CRTT has been steadily working through names flagged in the commission’s interim report. In April 2026, suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi was arrested by the task team on fraud and corruption charges.
The arrest also comes amid national outrage over gender-based violence and femicide, with Daily Maverick noting it coincided with the discovery of nine murdered women on Gauteng’s East Rand.
The lieutenant general is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and his next court date is expected to be set during Tuesday’s proceedings.
- Daily Maverick
- EWN
- The Citizen
- The Witness
- SAPS statement, 21 September 2026
- Swisher Post: Julius Mkhwanazi arrested by Madlanga Commission task team
This story is based on a SAPS statement issued on Monday night and reporting by Daily Maverick, EWN, The Citizen and The Witness. The officer's identity, the outcome of his first court appearance and the nature of the corruption-related matters linked to him at the Madlanga Commission have not been confirmed.
