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A man who went undetected for two years while posing as a policeman at various SA Police Service units in Limpopo said his outstanding work on the force was recognised at the top.
Captain Alex Mailula, real name Alex Matsobane Maake, is awaiting trial for impersonating a police officer. He said acting national head of the Hawks Major General Berning Ntlemeza recognised him as a prolific officer when he was deputy police commissioner in Limpopo.
“Ntlemeza knows me very well and, if he’s honest, he can testify on how much of a good police officer I was. He used to call me directly to discuss some cases and even asked for some serious cases to be handled by no one else but me,” Maake said in a telephone interview from the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, where he is being held.
Last month, Ntlemeza urged officers who could have helped Maake in breaking into the police system to come clean or face the might of the law.
Maake made headlines after escaping from Polokwane police cells two days after his arrest in February. Police said he had introduced himself as an officer seconded from national headquarters. Without any verification or vetting, he was allowed to work for two years in various units, including detectives and tracing units.
He confirmed that he had access to firearms and police vehicles. Maake said he was first recruited into the service as a police informer and later as a reservist after making a citizen’s arrest in a case where one of his relatives had been murdered.
He said he was a prolific officer who made swift arrests, and his work had earned him a good reputation and acknowledgement from Ntlemeza and Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Fanie Masemola. Limpopo police have referred all questions on Maake to the Hawks.
Maake claims to have arrested at least 136 suspects, including 40 in murder cases, rearresting six escapees and recovering stolen police firearms during his two years in the police service.
He said Ntlemeza was a big fan of his work.
“Shortly before he moved to the Hawks, we met at a funeral of a colleague, where Ntlemeza shook my hand and showered me with praises, and commended me for my hard work. I am surprised he is pretending not to know me now.
“[Ntlemeza] should also explain why Hawks members have visited me in prison and tried to convince me to implicate some senior officers and say they breached security when they allowed me into the police. I know he is involved in a spat with some senior officers, which I am not going to allow myself to be dragged into,” he said.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said: “People like Mailula and his cohorts are just trying their luck when they should be working on how they should save their sorry skins. And to those who assisted him, they must be very afraid as their days are numbered.
“We know police officers were involved and some are already spreading untruths about the general in an attempt to divert the investigation. General Ntlemeza is a disciplinarian, he is steadfast, hates corruption and has proven beyond doubt that he is against any form of misconduct.”
Mulaudzi said Maake’s allegations were not surprising because “we are dealing with a con man who managed to infiltrate the police service, used our regalia and virtually had access to our systems. Whether he was doing well or not is irrelevant since that information will be known by the station commander or his commander. He is a criminal to us,” said Mulaudzi
