A 78-YEAR-OLD woman in Mpumalanga, who claims she was detained unlawfully, is threatening to take legal action against Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa

Martha Mokganedi, of Seabe village, was arrested at her home when police found a stolen tractor worth R800,000 in her yard.

Mokganedi said she tried in vain to explain to the police that she had nothing to do with the vehicle and that her grandson had brought it to the house.

"I asked my grandson whose tractor it was and he told me that it was his friend's and the reason it was in the yard was that it had mechanical problems.

"I believed him and I was shocked hours later when the police stormed into my house and arrested me, saying I was in possession of a stolen tractor," she said.

Mokganedi said the cops were rude and did not give her a chance to explain.

"When I told them about how it ended up in my yard, one of the cops said the information was going to be used in court and that I should save it for the magistrate."

Yesterday, a day after Mokganedi spent the night in police holding cells, the Temba magistrate's court refused to go ahead with her case, saying the police were unfair to the poor lady.

Now police are hard on the heels of Mokganedi's 30-year-old grandson, whose name is known to Sowetan.