Premier Alan Winde called for the investigation after a court judgment indicated senior police officer had worked with members of the 28 gang
The Western Cape police ombud might seek more time to investigate allegations of corrupt ties between gangs and high ranking police officials in the province.
Police ombud General Oswald Reddy was given two weeks — until Tuesday, 15 November — to decide whether a commission of inquiry should be established into alleged collusion between gangs and the police.
Premier Alan Winde called for the inquiry after a Western Cape high court judgment suggested senior management in the police were in the pay of members of the 28 gang.
On Tuesday, the office of the ombud said: “Usually, our office has a turnaround time of 90 days, however due to the nature and urgency of this investigation, we are doing our best to provide Premier Winde with regular updates and will try to finalise as soon as possible.”
Winde received an update last Friday and was told that the inquiry “is at an advanced stage”.
Deidre Foster, of the police ombudsman’s office, declined to comment further, saying it remained sub judice.
Last week, the Western Cape MEC for community oversight and safety, Reagen Allen, promised his department’s support to the commission of inquiry that may stem from the ombuds’ inquiry.
Pieter Groenewald, a member of parliamentary police portfolio committee, said he believed a commission of inquiry should take place at a national level. “It must be an independent judicial commission and not just limited to the Western Cape. The entire top management [of police] should be investigated.”
Tarnished image
Alleged police corruption was thrust into the spotlight after a judgment on 17 October on the bail application of two alleged members of the 28 gang. Judge Daniel Thulare dismissed the bail application, but it came to light that some lower and high ranking police officers were colluding with criminal groups.
“The evidence suggests not only a capture of some lower ranking officers in the SAPS [South African Police Service]. The evidence suggests that the senior management of the SAPS in the province has been penetrated to the extent that the 28 gang has access to the table where the provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Western Cape sits,” Thulare said.
“This includes penetration of and access to the sanctity of the reports by specialised units like the Anti-Gang Unit and Crime Intelligence, to the provincial commissioner.
“The evidence further shows that the 28 gang and the Mobsters in particular are breathing heavily on the necks of public prosecutors who guide the investigation of organised crime and institute criminal proceedings against its members.”
The M&G reported last week about how gangs in the Western Cape hook and reel in police officers by baiting them with money and drugs.
The deputy police minister, Cassel Mathale, last week told the police portfolio committee that there were elements in the police service involved in criminal activity, but cautioned against “sweeping statements” that suggest the whole of the police service was criminal.
Without elaborating, the police told the committee that a senior official had been appointed to investigate the matter.
The committee was looking into the police service’s failure to act on recommendations made by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate after the assassination of lieutenant colonel Charl Kinnear in 2020.
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