(John McCann/M&G)
Colonel Ismael Dawood, Crime Intelligence’s kidnapping task team head, who is on trial for murder, kidnapping, torture and extortion charges, is embroiled in another case after the “reckless” shooting of two women during a botched kidnapping rescue mission.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) confirmed it is investigating a shooting incident that happened on 23 May.
The Ipid investigation relates to a Dawood-led operation to free a hostage, which resulted in the two women, whose names are known to the Mail & Guardian, being chased and shot at by officers, scuppering the arrest of the suspected kidnappers.
This information is contained in an internal police report, which stated that the two women, a mother and daughter, were travelling in Westonaria in Gauteng when they saw cars flashing blue lights.
The mother, who was driving, initially stopped but sped off towards the Westonaria police station when officers started firing shots at their vehicle. Their car crashed into the police station’s gate, whereafter more shots were fired at them. The women feared they were being hunted by hijackers, the police report added.
“There were several gunshot holes in the vehicle. The victims’ vehicle … was brought inside Westonaria police [station] for ballistic [officers] to remove projectiles from the vehicles,” the report stated.
A source close to Crime Intelligence questioned why the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), represented by Superintendent Mahomed Hoosen, was involved in the operation given that Westonaria falls outside its jurisdiction.
Regarding the kidnapping, the report stated that Hoosen was too slow to follow the kidnappers after the hostage’s family had dropped off R175 000 in ransom money.
The hostage was rescued but no arrests were made, the report added.
The JMPD did not respond to requests for comment.
Ipid spokesperson Lizzy Shuping said: “A case regarding the shooting incident in Westonaria has been registered with Ipid. We are gathering information so that we can resume our investigation.”
Kidnapping, torture
Meanwhile, Dawood, former North West police deputy commissioner Jan Mabula, Sanamela Samuel Kutumela and five other Crime Intelligence cops are on trial in the Johannesburg high court for allegedly kidnapping and torturing suspected criminals during a robbery investigation in 2006.
Dawood has not been disciplined. Asked why, the M&G was told these were “internal matters” that could not be discussed in public.
Dawood was made the commander of the kidnapping task team after the May 2021 arrest of Colonel Thatia Moremi, who was accused and charged for allegedly trying to solicit a R40 000 bribe from the family of a kidnapped Johannesburg businessman.
Moremi said the bribery charges were withdrawn by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) after he made representations to the authority, and that he retired in December. He declined to comment further.
Major General Feroz Khan, the head of Crime Intelligence, to whom Dawood reports, suspended Moremi after the bribery allegations, but did not discipline Dawood.
Instead, Dawood commands high-profile kidnapping cases, including the January return of an 11-year-old girl kidnapped in Mayfair, Johannesburg, in November last year.
The details of the torture allegedly perpetrated by the eight accused involves Paul Kgoedi and Serious Mthembi, the alleged assault survivors, who were connected to electrical devices and shocked, according to the NPA’s charge sheet.
The other accused are Matome Kgorane, Mahlako Adam Moahloli, Meshack Mpikwa Makhubo, Patrick Mfana Makutu and Israel Mdluli.
All eight accused were part of the police task team established by former Crime Intelligence boss Richard Mdluli to investigate the May 2006 robbery of evidence, including “a large amount of money and drugs” from the Benoni police station in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. About R14-million was stolen from the station’s evidence room.
The state alleges that, on 29 May 2006, three days after the Benoni robbery, Kgoedi was arrested and “detained” at the police’s serious and violent crimes unit in Braamfontein for four days, where he was “interrogated and assaulted”.
“He [Kgoedi] was removed from the [electrical] chair and his hands and feet were tied together behind his back; he was then assaulted with open hands and fists and a rubber tube was placed over his face and pulled tight, suffocating him.
“They further poured water over the tube, forcing it into his nose and mouth, suffocating him,” the charge sheet reads.
The state alleges that, on 31 May 2006, Kgoedi was allegedly assaulted at his sister’s house to force Nomvula Patience Kgoedi to pay R73 000 to the Crime Intelligence officers.
“These assaults were carried out in the presence of his sister, Nomvula Patience Kgoedi, in order to induce and/or extort her to hand over money to them and to sign a statement, and caused her to hand over an amount of about R73 000 to the task team and to sign a statement,” stated the charge sheet.
It added that Mthembi was kidnapped from 30 May to 1 June 2006, and he was also kept at the police’s Braamfontein offices, where, the state alleges, he was “unlawfully and intentionally assaulted”.
“He [Mthembi] was tortured for information and … tied to a chair with his wrists and ankles restrained, he was beaten with open hands and fists and kicked with booted feet.
“A rubber tube was placed over his face, suffocating him. A motor vehicle safety belt was tied around his neck and he was strangled and dragged around with the belt,” reads the charge sheet.
Dawood was further named in the charge sheet as the officer who arrested and allegedly tortured Richard Tlakulane Sebuyi, who was also suspected to have been behind the R14-million Benoni police station heist. The state alleges that Sebuyi was tortured in Braamfontein “in the presence of Dawood” and another officer, who the state said had since died.
“They stripped him [Sebuyi] of his clothing and tied him to a chair with his wrists and ankles restrained. He was beaten with open hands. Devices were connected to his body and electrical shock applied,” reads the state’s report.
The murder charge
Dawood and Kutumela also face a murder charge in North West province. The police service paid for Dawood’s return journey from Pretoria to Klerksdorp, as well as his accommodation. The total cost of the trip was R5 910, according to an internal note the M&G has seen.
The note further said that the state would cover Dawood’s legal fees, through the office of the state attorney, because “the employee did not forfeit state protection”.
Colonel Athlenda Mathe, spokesperson for the South African Police Service, who commented on behalf of Dawood, the police and Khan, said: “Kindly note that these are internal matters and, as such, the SAPS does not comment on departmental processes in the public domain.”
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