The Mthatha senior South African Police Service (SAPS) member was last Thursday, 5 March 2026 arrested by the Mthatha Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in connection with the alleged theft and misappropriation of state funds.
Lieutenant Colonel Bidla briefly appeared before the Mthatha Specialized Commercial Crimes Court on 05 March 2025 and he was released on R5000 bail.
The arrest follows an extensive investigation conducted by the Hawks, which relates to two counts of theft involving public funds entrusted to the administration of the SAPS Academy in Mthatha.
The matter arose from a structured internal financial handover that occurred on 12 December 2025, when the complainant instructed another officer, the academy’s Seb-section Head of Finance, to conduct a formal and procedurally compliant transfer of financial responsibilities to Lt Colonel Bidla.
The accused serves as the Head of Support Services, as the finance head was reportedly preparing to proceed on leave.
During the handover process, which was executed in accordance with prescribed financial management protocol governing state funds, two strong room keys, one safe key, and an amount of R60 000. 00 state funds were officially handed over to Lt Col Bidla.
The transaction was comprehensively reconciled against the relevant financial registers and captured on the POLFIN financial management system with both parties formally signing the prescribed handover certificates.
The transaction was subsequently validated and approved through the appropriate administrative channels at Head Office. Furthermore, allegations revealed that authority and fiduciary responsibility for the finance section securing of funds were transferred to Lt Col Bidla.
The development revealed that on 15 December 2025, an additional deposit of cash amounting to R720.00 was ostensibly done by another officer in the presence of Lt Col Bidla.
The amount was reportedly derived from the sale of perishable groceries following the closure of the Academy for the festive season period. This amount was also placed under the custodial control of Lt Col Bidla and secured in the same safe designed for state funds.
