South Africa: Mulangi Mphego charged with unlawful ammunition possession
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
Former South African police crime intelligence chief Mulangi Mphego was released on bail of 5,000 rand after being charged with unlawful possession of more than 100 rounds of ammunition. The ammunition, seized during a search of his home in July 2026, is believed to belong to the state and to have been made for the police, according to South African prosecutors; the case was postponed to 3 November.
South African courts released Mulangi Mphego, a former head of police crime intelligence, on bail after he was charged with unlawful possession of more than 100 rounds of ammunition. He appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 20 October and was granted bail of 5,000 rand, according to the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The ammunition was seized during a search of Mphego’s home in Centurion on 6 July 2026. The NPA says it is believed to belong to the state and to have been manufactured for the South African Police Service. Prosecutors say the former official possessed it without authorisation. The hearing also established that he had no previous convictions or other criminal cases pending.
The prosecution did not oppose his release on bail. The case was postponed to 3 November 2026. The search was also part of the investigation into the murder of Lieutenant-General Sindile Mfazi, the former deputy national commissioner for crime detection, who died in 2021. Police announced Mphego’s arrest on Tuesday, after initially referring to a former general without naming him.
The case adds to other proceedings involving former South African law enforcement officials. Former intelligence chief Mulangi Mphego has previously been released on bail.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
