Mdluli allegedly tried to sabotage murder probe by
two seasoned intelligence officers....
Apr 4, 2011
Arrested police spy boss Lieutenant-General Richard
Mdluli allegedly launched a systematic witch-hunt against two of his crime
intelligence officers to stop them investigating his suspected role in the
murder of his former lover's boyfriend.
Mdluli, held last week for the murder 12 years ago,
allegedly threatened to transfer warrant officers HMagabe and Thomas Rikhotso
as uniformed officers to police stations more than 300km from their homes and
instituted spurious disciplinary proceedings against them.
This was allegedly after Mdluli and one of his
co-accused in the 1999 murder case, Colonel Nkosana Ximba, learned that the two
intelligence officers had made inquiries about the dormant murder docket of
Oupa Ramogibe after a tip-off.
Mdluli accused the two of leaking information to
the Sowetan newspaper in July 2009 about his alleged links to the murder.
Mdluli, Vosloorus police station commander when Ramogibe was shot dead in the
township in 1999, was appointed head of crime intelligence shortly before the
Sowetan article was published. Ramogibe, killed while pointing out to the
police the scene of an earlier attempt on his life, was involved with a woman
with whom Mdluli was romantically linked.
Magabe and Rikhotso, who together have 40 years of
police experience, 20 with crime intelligence, were unavailable for comment
yesterday.
According to documents The Times has seen, and
South African Police Union general secretary Oscar Skommere, Magabe and
Rikhotso have been subjected to surveillance and unauthorised cellphone bugging
since February 2009.
They had become so unnerved that they were
receiving counselling. Their appeals to national police commissioner Bheki Cele
for his protection had fallen on deaf ears.
Police spokesman Colonel Vish Naidoo yesterday
refused to confirm or deny the allegations, but said an internal investigation
was under way into "various aspects'' of crime intelligence.
A highly placed police officer said the
investigation of Mdluli and his unit "would open a whole new can of
worms" and included "very serious issues".
"This is a massive investigation. It's going
to cast a bad light on this country's intelligence world. It is going to be
nasty."
In one of many letters of complaint about the
alleged victimisation of Magabe and Rikhotso, the police union's legal
representative, Kwena Moabelo, asked Cele in March last year to intervene in
the "witch-hunt".
Skommere said the union felt "vindicated"
by the arrests of Mdluli and three co-accused, but there had been prolonged
injustices against its members for doing their job.
"Our members have all along professed that
they did nothing wrong but knew these charges and victimisation were an attempt
to frustrate them in doing their jobs," said Skommere.
He said there was ample proof that Mdluli tried to
scupper the investigation of the two officers in connection with Ramogibe's
murder. This includes his failure to finalise disciplinary proceedings since
2009.
Magabe and Rikhotso were to have had their hearings
finalised within 60 days in terms of police discipline regulations but, after
22 months and one hearing that resulted in a "no-verdict" judgment,
there is still no resolution.
According to the charge sheet of the disciplinary
hearing, issued in March last year, more than a year after the alleged offence,
the two officers were to face charges from February 23 to September 2009.
They were accused of misconduct in that they:
- Failed to adhere to basic police principles by
investigating Mdluli and others for "unfounded" allegations
relating to the Ramogibe murder without an intelligence docket inquiry;
- Misled a colleague at the Vosloorus detective
unit into believing that their murder investigation was properly
authorised;
- Tried to frame Mdluli and others, and
conspired to prevent him being promoted to his current job;
- Failed to keep a record of information
gathered, or to report back to the SAPS; and
- Failed to respect Mdluli's "basic human
rights" and "humiliating" and "discriminating"
against him through a Sowetan article on July 10 last year.
In its letter to Cele, the union labelled the
allegations "baseless, vexatious and unfounded". At the time, Sapu
wrote that: "Mdluli has a history of antagonism against the employees.
This can be deduced from his attempts to get rid of them from crime
intelligence without a just cause."
The union said Mdluli, in letters dated February 9
2010, went as far as wanting to transfer Magabe and Rikhotso to crime
prevention units.
Both warrant officers are stationed on the East
Rand. Mdluli reportedly wanted to transfer them to Sebokeng and Magaliesberg.
Mdluli, Ximba and their co-accused, court orderly
Samuel Dlomo and Lieutenant-Colonel Mtunzi Omhle Mthembeni Mtunzi, will appear
in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of murder, attempted
murder, conspiracy to commit murder, intimidation, serious assault, kidnapping
and obstructing and/or defeating the ends of justice.
Skommere said the union had asked the state to
withdraw the charges against the two officers.
