Their charge relates to a missing docket in a case of assault, kidnapping, malicious damage to property, and robbery

Two policemen accused of defeating the ends of justice appeared in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said.

Lieutenant Thomas Chaya and Constable Desmond Godi were released on R1500 bail each and would be back in court on December 12, spokesman Moses Dlamini said.

Their charge related to a missing docket in a case of assault, kidnapping, malicious damage to property, and robbery, in which Godi was one of the accused.

Godi and his colleague, Constable Floyd Monana, allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a woman in Pretoria who allegedly owed Monana payment for the electricity bill of the flat she shared with him.

“The complainant alleges she had moved out of the flat she was sharing with Constable Monana in the middle of the month with the understanding that she would pay him the money for electricity once the bill was received,” Dlamini said.

On November 12 Monana and Godi met the woman and Monana accused her of refusing to pay her half of the bill. The policemen took her to Sunnyside police station where she paid Constable Monana. She made an affidavit in which she stated that she had settled her debt to Monana.

When the woman met them again a few hours later they allegedly assaulted her, put her in a police van and tore up the affidavit.

“They accused her of owing Constable Monana what she had already paid him.” 

The woman went to Sunnyside police station and laid charges against the two officers. The matter was reported to the Ipid.

Monana and Godi were arrested. They appeared in court on 14 November and they were released on bail of R1000 each.

Dlamini said the docket went missing when Godi was arrested for a second time, with Chaya, on November 22. They were charged with defeating the ends of justice.

“Chaya said he gave docket to Godi and Godi couldn’t explain where the docket was,” he said.