Three police officers have been caught on the wrong side of the law, for crimes including business robbery, drug possession and possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition.
Meanwhile, MEC for Community Safety, Dan Plato, says the arrests are worrying and may be the reason why police firearms are often used during armed robberies in the Cape.
The female constable, who cannot be named, was arrested in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain, on Saturday shortly after 8am.
Police sources say members of the Stabilisation Unit were patrolling when they noticed the suspicious-looking woman walking down Trampoline Street and stopped to search her.
Cops say they found mandrax tablets hidden inside a cigarette box in her possession.
The off-duty cop then identified herself as a constable stationed at Rondebosch SAPS.
NABBED: Constable Zeya Olwethu of Nyanga
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut, confirms her arrest: “We can confirm a 28-year-old female who is employed by SAPS has been arrested in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain, on Saturday for the possession of mandrax tablets.
The suspect is due to appear in Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
MEC Plato welcomed the arrests and said: “From the recent arrests there seems to be some truth in the worrying perception that cops are involved in illegality and possibly might even be linked to stolen guns used in robberies. This dangerous perception further causes a breakdown in trust between communities and the police.”
On Friday, a 24-year-old cop, his mother, 53, and another man were busted in Parow at a drug den, known as The Compound, in Parow Street.
The trio has been charged with being in possession of a stolen gun and ammunition.
Police later learnt that the cop was a constable stationed at Athlone Police Station and that the firearm and ammunition had been stolen out of a safe at the cop shop.
HELD IN CUSTODY: The 18-year-old Jenimo Solomon
Meanwhile, a Nyanga cop and his two accomplices will have to wait at least a month before their bail application can begin.
Constable Zeya Olwethu, Jenimo Solomon, 18, and Tariq Meiners, 20, made a brief appearance at the Bellville Magistrate's Court on Monday.
Prosecutors are set to prove that on 27 September, Olwethu, a recruit for the Nyanga Stabilisation Unit, allegedly booked out two 9mm firearms and an R5 rifle and met up with his friend, Solomon, who was driving a blue VW Golf.
The duo allegedly robbed a Somali tuck shop in N2 Gateway of entjies.
The two were nabbed in Delft, and Olwethu directed cops to a house where the rifle and Meiners were found.
Their case was postponed to 25 October for a formal bail application.
On Friday, the trio were “accidently” released by a police official at court, but were told to return.
Cops claimed it was a system error and said the officer would face disciplinary action.