Onkarabetse Pono, a police officer from Botswana, was detained in Mahikeng, South Africa, for dealing in an unpolished diamond.

Onkarabetse Pono, a police officer from Botswana, was detained in Mahikeng, South Africa, for dealing in an unpolished diamond. At the Molopo Magistrate's Court in Mmabatho, bail was set at R8,000.

In Mahikeng, North West, a police officer from Botswana was detained on suspicion of marketing an unpolished diamond.

Onkarabetse Pono, a police officer, and two other people were detained by the Hawks on Monday at a mall in Mahikeng after they accepted a down payment of R20,000 for an unpolished diamond.

"The three were apprehended during a buy-and-bust operation after allegedly selling an unpolished diamond and taking a down payment of R20,000 for the diamond they were supposedly selling for R100,000.

The diamond and their getaway car were confiscated for further investigation, according to Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, a spokeswoman for the Hawks in the North West.

On Tuesday, the three appeared before the Molopo Magistrate's Court in Mmabatho. Charges against two people were dropped, but not the police officer, she added.

When Pono appeared in court on Wednesday, he was granted R8,000 bail and released. The trial in his favour was set for March 27. Although Rikhotso refused to name his country of origin, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that he was from Botswana. 

However, she claimed that she was not permitted to reveal the nationalities of any suspects. Three males were reportedly detained in connection with the murder of a security guard in a separate incident, according to North West police.

Initial indications indicate that on January 27, a group of armed individuals may have shot and killed a security guard responding to a supermarket robbery in Zendeling Street, Rustenburg.

According to North West police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani, "an extensive intelligence-driven investigation that was undertaken following the event led the police to arrest the first suspect at a hospital in Rustenburg.

This was where he was admitted and treated for a gunshot wound." Two more, she claimed, had been detained—one at Sunrise Park and the other in Ramochana.

"The suspect detained in Ramochana was found in possession of five smartphones, 56 memory cards, and an unauthorized handgun with the serial number filed off."

They were anticipated to show up in court on Friday to answer to allegations of murder, business robbery, and possession of an unregistered firearm.