SAPS clears Makgotloe on two charges, find him guilty on two others
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) News has reliably learnt that the police officer who failed to link the gun in the Armand Swart murder to several other murder and attempted murder cases has been cleared of wrongdoing on two charges and found guilty on two others by an internal South African Police Service (SAPS) disciplinary hearing.
An expedited disciplinary process found forensic analyst, Captain Laurence Makgotloe, guilty of dishonesty in issuing a corrected ballistic report and changing the dates on which the report was corrected.
In the second charge, Makgotloe was found guilty of contravening the SAPS code of conduct by failing to use resources to identify a firearm that was handed to him.
The internal disciplinary outcome relates only to the internal SAPS process and does not affect the separate criminal case against Makgotloe, which remains before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.
He is currently out on R15 000 bail, subject to strict conditions that include surrendering his passport, not interfering with witnesses, and being barred from accessing his workplace.
The criminal trial will be before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court again on August 20 for further proceedings.