Portfolio Committee on Police asks for update on investigation into gang infiltration in SAPS

Portfolio Committee on Police Chairman Ian Cameron has requested an update on the internal investigation into concerns about possible gang infiltration of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape.

Cameron sent a letter to National Police Chief Fannie Masemola asking for an update on the investigation.

This follows the March 17, 2022 ruling by Western Cape High Court Judge Daniel Thulare, in which he found that there was evidence that gang members had infiltrated the top echelons of the SAPS.

Thulare said gang members had access to key documents and crime-fighting strategies.

Judge Daniel Thulare of the Western Cape High Court. File photo: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers

At the time, Western Cape Premier Alan Winder said the verdict highlighted alleged horrific and deep-rooted corruption and collaboration between the SAPS and members of the 28 Gang.

“The evidence does not only suggest the capture of some junior officers within the SAPS,” Thulare said in his ruling.

“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 SAPS Provincial Commissioner in the Western Cape sits with his senior managers and leads them in studying crime, developing crime prevention strategies and determining tactics and approaches for the safety and security of the people of the Western Cape,” he said.

“This includes penetrating and gaining access to the sanctity of the reports by specialized units such as the Anti-Gang Unit and Crime Intelligence, to the Provincial Commissioner.”

Cameron said, following the assurance he gave to Parliament’s Sixth Select Committee on Police on 1 December 2023, that the internal investigation has been ongoing for a long time and that the allegations in that assessment have far-reaching implications for the credibility of the SAPS to deal effectively with gang violence in the area.

“The ongoing violence and killings on the Cape Flats and the lethargic response by the SAPS appear to lend credence to the allegations in the Thulare judgment. The conclusion of that investigation and the prosecution of officers identified as gang associates are necessary to stem the violence in the area,” Cameron said.

He raised the alarm about the ongoing gang violence on the Cape Flats, where several murders and attempted murders occurred this weekend alone. The ongoing violence on the Cape Flats requires coordinated, proactive and intelligence-led interventions.

“The violence on the Cape Flats last weekend is symptomatic of the shortcomings in SAPS operations in the area, which require a review of interventions to ensure the safety and security of the people in the area,” Cameron said.

“It is simply unacceptable and unfair to the people of the Cape Flats that they continue to be subjected to the lethargic, haphazard approaches that the SAPS is currently taking in the area. The completion of that investigation will help root out rogue elements within the SAPS and give people hope that gang violence is being dealt with effectively.”

He said there is no single solution to the violence and stressed that the SAPS appears to be operating without a concrete intelligence strategy, with minimal proactive and limited disruptive and deterrent operations in the area, which has created a dangerous environment conducive to criminal activity.

“The Thulare judgment which highlighted the potential infiltration of the SAPS by gangs in the Western Cape has not been adequately addressed by SAPS management and this has a direct impact on the morale of ethical police officers in the area. Furthermore, the lack of intelligence officers undermines the work of the SAPS in the area,” Cameron said.

He believes that an update of the investigation is necessary and that SAPS management should draw up plans to tackle the scourge of crime in the area.

Cameron also expressed concern about the killing of six people in Umlazi in Durban last weekend.

“The scourge of murders in the country has highlighted the concern about the proliferation of illegal firearms across the country. Most murders are committed with illegal firearms and the SAPS leadership must intensify operations aimed at removing these firearms from the streets,” Cameron said.

He further called on SAPS management to intensify investigations and ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are arrested and prosecuted.

[email protected]

IOL