The officer was found working at Athlone SAPS charge office
Image: File
An officer previously found guilty of multiple disciplinary offences including assault, intimidation, crimen injuria and repeated insubordination, was allegedly discovered working at Athlone Police Station despite SAPS confirming to Parliament that he had been dismissed.
“The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply alarmed by what now appears to be a pattern of deception and disciplinary manipulation emanating from the Western Cape Provincial Police Head Office, led by Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile,” said DA Member of Parliament Nicholas Gotsell.
Gotsell, who serves on the National Council of Provinces’ Select Committee on Security and Justice, made the claims following an oversight visit to Athlone Police Station on Friday, 7 February 2026. He said the officer was found working in the station’s charge office during the visit.
“In a written reply to Parliament, the South African Police Services (SAPS) unequivocally stated that a constable with a long record of disciplinary contraventions was dismissed from its service on 10 December 2025. Yet, during an oversight visit to Athlone Police Station, the DA found this same officer working in the charge office,” Gotsell said.
He added that the officer’s presence was allegedly confirmed by a senior officer at the station, who indicated that station management had no knowledge of any dismissal and was in the process of finalising another disciplinary complaint against him.
“This is not an administrative error. A dismissed police officer cannot lawfully be on duty. The only reasonable conclusion is that Parliament was misled, or that dismissals under Lt Gen Patekile’s command exist only on paper and are ignored in practice,” Gotsell said.
According to records the officer’s disciplinary history dates back to 2019. Between 2019 and 2025, he was found guilty of several misconduct offences.
According to the records, in matters spanning 2019 through to 2025, the officer was found guilty of displaying disrespect towards a Visible Policing (Vispol) commander and making derogatory remarks. Records further indicate that in another matter he was found guilty of failing to comply with an instruction to report for duty in uniform and failing to attend a scheduled meeting.
In a separate case, according to records, the officer was found guilty of assault, crimen injuria against a station commander, intimidation and failure to comply with provisions of Act 84 of 1962 relating to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), after an incident was allegedly publicised on social media.
The records also show the officer also faced several disciplinary matters at station level, including failure to comply with instructions, absence from duty, improper conduct and unacceptable behaviour.
The party claims that despite the seriousness and frequency of these charges, disciplinary matters addressed at provincial level resulted in the officer being suspended for one month without salary.
The DA further stated that the officer’s latest disciplinary case in 2025 involved allegedly contravening a prescribed code of conduct.
“According to records, the provincial commander instructed commanders per business unit to institute disciplinary proceedings in respect of Regulation 5(3)(u),” Gotsell said.
“The member was then dismissed from SAPS on 10 December 2025.”
Gotsell said the matter raises serious accountability questions and places responsibility on both Acting Minister of Police Professor Firoz Cachalia, under whose authority the parliamentary reply was submitted, and Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, who oversees policing operations in the province.
“This scandal unfolds while the Western Cape is under siege from violent crime, gang warfare, drug trafficking and extortion. Communities are pleading for visible, ethical and competent policing,” Gotsell said.
He further alleged that in recent months, disciplinary decisions involving police officers accused of serious misconduct have been overturned or reduced under the provincial leadership.
Among the allegations highlighted by the DA are claims that dismissals involving officers found in possession of drugs or stolen SAPS vehicles were overturned, that officers accused of corruption were reinstated, and that disciplinary sanctions for serious offences were reduced. The party also claims that compromised senior officers have been appointed to chair disciplinary hearings.
After lifting the lid on many of the alleged discrepancies, Cachalia admitted to Gotsell in a Parliamentary question that concerns surrounding the exercise of administrative powers by the Provincial Commissioner may warrant a review of the 2016 SAPS Disciplinary Code.
“In an apparent attempt to evade further scrutiny, someone chose to lie to Parliament about the dismissal of a police officer with a long list of guilty verdicts,” Gotsell said.
The DA has since formally written to the Acting Minister of Police, seeking clarity on how the information regarding the alleged dismissal originated, who supplied it and whether an ethics complaint should be pursued for potentially misleading Parliament.
In addition, the party is calling for a full independent audit of all disciplinary outcomes in the Western Cape SAPS since Lieutenant General Patekile assumed office, including all dismissals imposed, those overturned or varied and the appointment of disciplinary chairpersons.
“A province under siege cannot afford a Provincial Commissioner who reinstates crooks, undermines discipline and treats Parliament with contempt,” Gotsell said.
“If Lieutenant General Patekile cannot enforce discipline honestly and transparently, then he has no business leading the fight against crime in the Western Cape.”
*This is a developing story*
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za