The infamous Limpopo bogus cop, captain Mailula, real name Alex Matsobane Maake (41) and his wife Isabella Khomotso Maake (49) have pleaded guilty to their charges and have been sentenced to nine years and 12 months suspended sentences respectively by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday last week.
Alex Maake pleaded guilty on charges of fraud, impersonating a police officer, escaping from lawful custody and contravention of the Correctional Services Act. His wife on the other hand pleaded guilty on the charge of contravening the Correctional Services Act.
Maake’s run-in with the law dates back to 2002 when he was arrested and convicted for rape and theft which he committed in Boksburg. While awaiting sentencing at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, Maake was aided to escape from lawful custody by Constable Princess Phumla Mahlangu.
Mahlangu, colluded with Maake and pretended to be investigating Maake on a trumped up and fictitious docket. She deceived the aspirant prosecutor at the Pretoria Magistrate’s offices to issue a requisition request under the false pretext that she needed to book out Maake for investigation and interrogation. She later unlawfully let him escape in Silverton on 18 January 2012. Constable Mahlangu, who was stationed at Brokhorstspruit police station, has since been dismissed from the police service.
Maake managed to evade arrest and emerged Polokwane police station in Limpopo where he was introduced as a police captain. In Limpopo he worked at Polokwane and Seshego police stations as well as at the Crime Intelligence. Investigations revealed that Maake, former police reservist, investigated serious criminals and arrested them for various crimes. He also assisted police in successfully opposing bail in some of the matters before the Polokwane and Seshego Magistrate’s Courts.
During his tenure as a fake cop, Maake used his ranks to get money from business people in Polokwane. He also used state resources, including a firearm, to illegally offer protection services to business people in that area and evicted people from their houses.
Maake’s borrowed freedom was short-lived when the Hawks pounced on him in February 2015. During a random search at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correction Centre, Maake was found in illegal possession of a cellphone inside the prison cell. Investigations revealed that he had received eight (8) calls from his wife and made unlawful 28 calls to her; a feat that led to the arrest of the wife.
Apart from the nine year sentence he received, Alex Maake has the following sentences on his neck:
- In January 2002 he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for robbery he committed in Boksburg.
- In June 2002 Maake was sentenced to serve 15 years in jail for rape and five years for theft by the Regional Court in Benoni.
- On 16 October 2015 Maake was also sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for rape and five years for theft by the Cullinan Regional Court.
Hawks’ investigation have gained momentum and more arrests relating to Maake’s reign of terror as a bogus policeman in Limpopo are imminent.
The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza praised the investigation team and the prosecutor for a sterling job which left Maake with no choice but to own up on his crimes. “The pleading of guilty by the accused and his wife is testament to our spot on investigations. Now our claws are out for those who were or are still associated with the convicted criminal so that we can also bring them to book for justice to be served satisfactorily”, said Lieutenant General Ntlemeza.
