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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 14 • 25 June - 8 July 2010

NELSPRUIT

The provincial head of the SAPS’ legal department in Mpumalanga has been arrested for alleged shoplifting.

According to a reliable source, Christopher Kelvin James (45) entered Pick n Pay in Nelspruit at noon on Thursday and headed straight to the butchery department.

“He took two packs of lamb - one a quarter lamb valued at R190.56, and another a half lamb valued at R451.12 and placed them in his trolley. He then walked around the store before returning to the butchery and asking for sausages. He then took the quarter lamb and placed it back in the freezer where he had found it.”

When the cashier scanned the lamb, she discovered that it had two barcodes, one on top of another.

“The lower price had been pasted on top of the real price of R451.12,” the source said.

The cashier then called management for assistance.

“When they rescanned it, they realised the correct price was indeed R451.12. They then checked the items in the freezer and found that the quarter lamb had no code because it had been removed. Security was called and the customer was taken to the security office.”

Realising he was going to be arrested, James insisted that he should be allowed to pay for both items, but the security refused and called the Nelspruit police.

According to a security guard who did not want to be named, two policemen arrived and unsuccessfully tried to have the charges dropped. When it became clear that the matter had already been entered into the company’s Occurrence Book, they arrested James and took him away.

Captain Leonard Hlathi confirmed the incident and said James appeared in court on Friday on charges of theft. He was released on warning and his case was postponed to June 22.

On Friday, police officers were seen in Pick n Pay taking statements from the store managers and security staff.

On Tuesday, James’s case was postponed to July 7 for a decision by the director of public prosecutions on whether he should be prosecuted.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi confirmed that James, an advocate, was still at his post and had not been suspended