National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola told Parliament’s ad hoc committee on Friday that former president Jacob Zuma and late police minister Nathi Mthethwa blocked attempts to reform the Crime Intelligence division.
Masemola was testifying at the parliamentary inquiry investigating KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations about an alleged criminal syndicate that has infiltrated law enforcement, the judiciary and intelligence services.
Abuse of Crime Intelligence’s ‘slush fund’
Crime Intelligence, a division within the South African Police Service (Saps), has been one of the main focal points at both the ad hoc committee and the Madlanga commission.
Witnesses have detailed how the police’s secret service account, known as the “slush fund”, was abused by officials and politicians.
There have also been allegations of attempts to halt prosecution against former Crime Intelligence head Richard Mdluli for corruption, along with claims of political interference by Mthethwa, former police minister Bheki Cele, and current minister Senzo Mchunu.
Incumbent Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo recently testified before the Madlanga commission, explaining that efforts to overhaul the division — which he characterised as central to policing in South Africa — were derailed after a series of acting heads were dismissed from their positions.
Mkhwanazi similarly remarked the division has not been “cleansed” since 2011, when the Mdluli slush fund scandal was unfolding.
Masemola implicates Zuma and Mthethwa
Resuming his testimony after the lunch break, Masemola faced questions from ANC MP Khusela Sangoni-Diko.
Sangoni-Diko asked whether the instability within Crime Intelligence was a “new phenomenon” that started with Mchunu.
Masemola replied that it was not, saying the instability began even before 2011.
He added that it would be incorrect to blame the current issues within the division on the minister
READ MORE: Here are General Masemola’s best responses on day two of his ad hoc committee appearance
The national commissioner explained that Crime Intelligence has been weakened over the years, not only by officials but also by external influences.
When asked who resisted the attempts to reform the division, Masemola said that while he did not have direct evidence, he implicated Zuma and Mthethwa, who died last week.
“When we had a plan on how we were reforming the division, we did quite a lot of work and probably we touched the wrong button,” he told the committee.
‘We were targeted’
Masemola explained that Crime Intelligence vehicles were taken away from Mthethwa and Zuma at the time, and this “might have caused a problem”.
“That’s how we were later targeted and removed. That’s when Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi ended up at home; I ended up in Limpopo and Khumalo, probably was lucky, and remained around Gauteng.
“So those are the people I would say thwarted the reforms that we were bringing,” Masemola said.
He defended their efforts, saying: “It was the right thing that we were doing because we were making sure that the resources of the division solely get used to fight crime.
“Why would a minister drive a vehicle that belongs to the Crime Intelligence account for no reason?”
Masemola further revealed that senior managers in the division were also driving the Crime Intelligence cars, which were subsequently taken away.
While the vehicles were later returned to the officials, they were removed again with the support of Bheki Cele, who was national police commissioner at the time.
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