Inside Phiyega’s secret tapes
October 27 2013 at 09:43am
By Solly Maphumulo
By Solly Maphumulo
GCIS
National police
commissioner General Riah Phiyega. Photo: GCIS
Johannesburg - The scandal involving
national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega deepened on Saturday when
contents of embarrassing, taped conversations by South Africa’s top cop
emerged.
Critically, it reveals that Phiyega
told Western Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Arno Lamoer
on three occasions that she was aware of investigations against him.
The conversations were legally recorded
by crime intelligence operatives monitoring Lamoer’s calls after allegedly
showing that he was associated with a Cape Town drug dealer and well known
businessman.
Crime intelligence operatives picked up
Phiyega’s conversations with Lamoer, during which she expresses regret at not
telling him earlier that there were allegations linking him to the drug lord.
Phiyega makes Lamoer aware of similar
allegations by Hawks boss Anwa Dramat and also discloses that the then head of
crime intelligence disclosed the same information.
The disclosures have outraged crime
intelligence operatives who have threatened to lay criminal charges against the
national police commissioner.
Phiyega, meanwhile, says she won’t step
down while charges against her are being investigated, because she’s “done
nothing wrong”.
She told Eyewitness News that she had
yet to be presented with the exact allegations against her.
“If I am being investigated let them
bring the docket and I’ll be ready to answer those questions.”
She has labelled the charges against
her as a smear campaign by the controversial crime intelligence unit. She has
also said the latest saga was linked to her suspension of acting crime
intelligence head, Major-General Chris Ngcobo.
In the taped conversations, heard by
The Sunday Independent’s sister paper Sunday Tribune, it emerges that Lamoer
made disparaging remarks about Phiyega.
He criticises her restructuring of the
top police leadership structure, which has led to the isolation of some top,
experienced police officers.
The restructuring also led to an
embarrassing situation when Phiyega was forced to withdraw the appointment of
Major-General Mondli Zuma as Gauteng police commissioner after the media
revealed that Zuma was facing criminal charges.
The tapes reveal how Phiyega tells
Lamoer that she received information about him from Dramat and then Ngcobo.
She says she didn’t commission the
probe into Lamoer and nor did police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
Phiyega also intimates that she might
have attempted to protect Lamoer. She told him that she had told Dramat and
Ngcobo to arrest the drug lord and “leave my management alone”.
According information from the Hawks
and crime intelligence sources, Lamoer is allegedly associated with a Cape Town
drug lord.
Police have been investigating Lamoer
for the past four months.
He has allegedly been speaking to the
suspected drug lord on almost a dailybasis.
He has allegedly received money from
the suspect.
He also allegedly received free petrol
from a filling station owned by the man.
Yesterday Lamoer rebuffed questions,
insisting that police spokesman Solomon Makgale should deal with all queries.
Phiyega’s daughter, who wouldn’t
identify herself, also referred questions to Makgale. Makgale, who promised to
provide comments, failed to respond at the time of going to press.
IFP spokesman on police Velaphi Ndlovu
said that an unhindered investigation into allegations against Phiyega was
imperative.
“Riah Phiyega is the most powerful
police officer in the country and should, by this virtue, allow a complete
investigation into these allegations.
“If she has done nothing wrong and has
nothing to hide, her name will be cleared and this is of utmost importance to
the credibility of our country’s police service,” he said.
“No matter if you are the national
commissioner or a constable, if you can influence an investigation against you,
you should go on special leave while the matter is resolved. That is what
should happen to Riah Phiyega,” he added.
DA shadow police minister Dianne
Kohler-Barnard said: “Given the severity of these allegations it is essential
that the police commissioner is fully investigated… I will write to the
minister of police to ascertain exactly what steps are being taken against the
police commissioner.
“Although commissioner Phiyega does not
have a policing background, it is common sense that to telephone someone being
investigated to inquire about the investigation is ludicrous. If she required
information, or an update on the case, why did she not call the investigators?
What reason was there for her to call the suspect? It is simply too big a
mistake to make. If commissioner Phiyega is innocent, she should not oppose an
investigation,” Kohler Barnard added.
Additional reporting by Jeff Wicks
Sunday Independent
