OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 8.30pm.
A BIGTIME hijacker serving 125 years in the ultra-maximum security C-Max prison in Pretoria has blown the whistle on police corruption, telling how police provide escorts for hijacked cars, how crooked cops destroy dockets, and how a R10000 bribe got him out of jail.
The Sunday Times reports that as a result of his story, Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi has agreed to meet Xolani Mlilwana in prison on his return from London early this week.
Mlilwana, who admits hijacking 30 vehicles, sent a dossier the the Johannesburg Sunday newspaper containing sworn affidavits making various allegations of police corruption. At the centre of his claims is a named sergeant on the Johannesburg anti-hijacking unit who he says took a R10000 bribe to secure his release from prison in an earlier arrest. He claims he later paid another R10000 to the same sergeant, who then agreed to leave his office unlocked so that Mlilwana could sneak in and steal case dockets.
Mlilwana also detailed how anti-hijack unit cops allegedly gave hijacked vehicles a blue-light escort. He said that he has already received death threats in jail.
As well as details of police corruption, Mlilwana also claims to have information about international car-theft syndicates operating in South Africa and of cars-for-drugs deals. He made a statement about police corruption to the Independent Complaints Directorate in August. The ICD has confirmed it is investigating his claims.