Pretoria - Political and human rights activist Mary de Haas has accused national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola of being appointed irregularly, saying that he never received “the proper security clearance”.
De Haas further accuses Masemola of appointing General Dumisani Khumalo to the head of crime intelligence position without a security clearance, and has asked Parliament that it should pay urgent attention to the security threat posed by these grossly irregular appointments to the “crisis-ridden” police service.
This has emerged in a letter written to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the intelligence oversight and police portfolio committees and the inspector-general of intelligence sent last week.
Masemola has been at the helm since the end of March 2022, while Khumalo was appointed last year.
In the letter De Haas wrote about what she called “the grossly irregular SAPS management appointments”.
She had written a letter about her concerns over the appointment of Khumalo but now states in the new letter, seen by the Pretoria News, that she had the same concerns regarding the appointment of Masemola.
It reads: “After my letter on 9 December last year about the irregular appointment of General Khumalo as head of crime intelligence, I am now advised that General Masemola was appointed to the position of national commissioner without having the necessary security clearance.
“It is believed that the alleged lack of security clearance is connected to an investigation into a 2016 multimillion tender for bullet-proof vests, as reported in the media in November 2022.
“I am also advised that it was General Masemola who bears responsibility for giving a security clearance to General Khumalo to head crime intelligence.”
De Haas conceded that she was not in a position to confirm the allegations, which she would report to the intelligence oversight and police portfolio committees and the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence.
She added: “But this matter has obvious bearing on my complaints to your office regarding the failure of Parliament to exercise proper oversight into the actions of the (police) minister and SAPS management. I again remind you that my complaints about the irregular operational involvement of Minister Cele, and the way in which the SAPS break the law with impunity, date back to at least 2021.”
De Haas announced that there was also a criminal case of fraud opened at the Pretoria Central police station in 2020, which alleged the use of police funds for personal benefit, including in the review of the Moloi commission of inquiry findings.
The findings led to Cele’s dismissal, but were later set aside.
She questioned who would be the right person to investigate the matter without any “conflict of interest”.
“There is no political will on the part of the police or any oversight body to investigate the minister,” De Haas said.
She called on Parliament to act.
“I call on Parliament to order that the minister, the national and deputy national commissioners (for finance), and the relevant state attorney, provide full details in affidavits, with supporting documentation, of who paid the minister’s lawyer.”
Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba, responding to Pretoria News, said they were aware of the matter.
She said: “We’ve been made aware of it. The ministry will respond to Parliament, if and when called to do so.”
Pretoria News