The DA has welcomed the arrest of the head of police crime intelligence, Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, and three other top figures in the crime intelligence division.
The DA said others who had been arrested were Brig Daniel Ncube, Brig Nozipho Madondo and a Maj-Gen Sydney Gabela.
“This is a welcome step in rescuing an organisation on the brink of collapse. This points to yet another serious breach of trust within a critical state institution tasked with performing our nation’s policing functions and mandate,” DA spokesperson on state security Dianne Kohler Barnard said.
She said the DA would undertake a watching brief on the case.
“In February of this year, the DA wrote to the inspector-general of intelligence, Imtiaz Fazel, after it was uncovered that crime intelligence allegedly spent R22.8m on the purchase of a highly questionable commercial property in Berea, Durban, and R22.7m on a luxury boutique hotel in Pretoria North.”
She said those purchases were allegedly authorised by crime intelligence CFO Maj-Gen Philani Lushaba and Khumalo.
“These properties were purchased and seem to be just the tip of the iceberg which, being revealed, threatens to sink crime intelligence once and for all,” she said.
Barnard said more than 10 days ago, Lushaba handed himself over to police after it emerged that a sex worker had allegedly stolen his state-issued firearm and laptop. He subsequently lied about the matter, which led to his eventual arrest.
“We expect more arrests to follow of very high-ranking and senior police officials. After years of Zuma-era state capture and corruption, crime intelligence essentially became a cash cow for Zuma-aligned cronies,” Barnard said.
“We call on [police] minister Senzo Mchunu to ensure that the full might of the law prevails and that these arrests lead to the imprisonment of those found guilty of wrongdoing.
“The DA hoped that at last crime intelligence was rising out of the Richard Mdluli era, but sadly for SA, that is not the case,” she said.
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