Police Major General Thuto Gaogakwe Phefo, aged 62, has been found guilty of accepting a bribe after promising a colleague inside information on the questions to expect at an interview for a Brigadier post. The case, which has drawn significant attention, highlights corruption at high levels within the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The scandal came to light after the complainant, a former SAPS employee who had applied for a Brigadier post and was shortlisted, reported the incident. According to the allegations, during the assessment process, Phefo approached the complainant and offered her a document he claimed contained the questions that would be asked during the interview. The document, upon inspection, turned out to be a case study relevant to the interview process.

In exchange for this information, Phefo solicited a bribe of R70,000 from the complainant. Desperate to secure the promotion, the complainant reportedly paid Phefo R48,000 upfront. However, after realizing the seriousness of the situation, she opened an inquiry on 2 August 2017, which led to an entrapment operation.

The operation culminated on 13 August 2017 when Phefo was caught red-handed after demanding and receiving the remaining R22,000 from the complainant. He was subsequently arrested and later released on R4,000 bail.