• A former police cashier has been found guilty of theft.

• The cashier was found to have stolen more than R260 000 during one month in 2018.

• The theft took place while she was employed at the Polokwane police station.

A former police cashier was convicted of theft after she was found to have stolen more than R260 000 while working at the Polokwane police station. The theft took place in less than a month in 2018.

Former South African Police Service employee Kgomotso Yvonne Mashala, 34, was found guilty in the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday, said Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke.

"Between 19 January 2018 and 7 February 2018 Mashala was working at the Polokwane police station as a cashier responsible for receiving and depositing state money into the state bank account," said Maluleke.

"When an audit was conducted, the report indicated that an amount of more than R264 000 was missing and unaccounted for, which was during the period the accused was a cashier. The matter was referred to the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation unit for a further probe," Maluleke said.

After an investigation by the Hawks, the National Prosecuting Authority issued a summons to Mashala to appear in court on 31 August 2018, and she was duly served, Maluleke added.

Mashala was out on bail until her conviction on Tuesday, said Maluleke.

She will be sentenced on 19 January 2022.