Former South African Revenue Services (SARS) employee, Rasivuma Isaac Madzhuta, 56, has been found guilty of demanding a bribe from a client and sentenced to eight years behind bars for corruption.
Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the man was a service consultant at the SARS Polokwane offices.
Ledwaba said the trial court heard that in August 2022, Madzhuta helped a female client with her tax returns, but demanded R1,500 in exchange promising to fast-track her refunds.
“After the client received her refund, Madzhuta demanded payment.”
Ledwaba said after the client was demanded to pay a bribe to the man, she then went to the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit to report the incident.
He said the case was probed and referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Following that, Madzhuta appeared before the Serious Crime Commercial Court in Polokwane, on September 18, and was found guilty of corruption.
“He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with four years wholly suspended for five years on the condition that he is not found guilty of corruption during the suspension period,” Ledwaba said.
Meanwhile, Limpopo provincial commissioner of police, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed the sentence, saying that it serves as a deterrent that corruption will be rooted out at all levels.
"This conviction demonstrates the commitment of the South African Police Service to combating corruption and ensuring accountability within government institutions," Hadebe said.
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