An on-duty policeman with an off-duty colleague were cruising along when they were pulled over by colleagues.

A team carried out a sting operation on Friday evening after receiving information implicating the pair in transporting dagga.

The sergeant and a constable, both in their early 30s, were arrested after being found in possession of three large bags of dagga.

"It was indicated that the suspects were travelling in one of the member's private vehicle, with one of them being off-duty and the other on-duty. The team pulled them over, demanding to search the vehicle, at which point the three bags were found inside the car, resulting in their arrest," said a police statement.

Mpumalanga provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma said the two members were attached to the relatively new police station of KaMhlushwa, near Malelane.

The suspects will appear in court on Monday, facing a charge of dealing in dagga.

Meanwhile at neighbouring Schoemansdal, a 49-year-old department of health employee, employed as a driver, together with a 42-year-old man, were also arrested for dealing in dagga.

The duo, arrested on May 6, were found with compressed dagga weighing 5.9kg, while travelling in a state vehicle belonging to the department, attached to the Shongwe Hospital.

They have already made a brief court appearance, with one being released on a warning and the other on bail of R500, pending their next appearance on May 30.

Lt-Gen Zuma said that it is sad that civil servants including the police are involved in the proliferation of dagga, especially within the Tonga cluster.

"There is no space for such criminal elements in the SAPS in particular and the government in general. These arrests should serve as a stern warning to other civil servants currently involved in similar activities."

Private use of dagga is allowed in SA, but dealing remains outlawed.