A former police finance administrator has been found guilty of theft after misappropriating funds from the Ficksburg police in the Free State between 2014 and 2016.

Mavis Mmalefa Buthelezi Mokoena, 42, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, suspended for four years. The State alleged that she had misappropriated R117 000.

She was convicted as charged for theft in the Ficksburg Magistrate's Court, Hawks spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo said.

"Mokoena was attached to the finance section responsible for receiving third-party funds at the time of the offence. She voluntarily resigned from the service before disciplinary measures were initiated. This was after an internal audit process, where it was discovered that an amount of R51 000 could not be accounted for," Singo said.

A case was opened and subsequently handed over to the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation unit.

"The court has sentenced Mokoena to three years' imprisonment, which is suspended for four years, on condition that she pays back the amount of R51 000 to SAPS with monthly instalments of R5 000 within 10 months, with the last payment of R1 000 to be paid at the end of January 2022," Singo added.