KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on Wednesday said that he will ask Parliament though the intelligence structures to look into the tenure of former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (PID) head Robert McBride.

Mkhwanazi, was delivering testimony for a second day at the Ad Hoc Committee probing his allegations of police corruption and interference.

He provided more explosive allegations as he described WhatsApp messages linked to the disbandment of the political killings task team (PKTT) and that these were now under criminal investigation as he warned MPs that public disclosures of classified material had compromised operational safety.

DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard attended the session virtually after the provincial commissioner accused her of disclosing classified intelligence information at both the parliamentary inquiry and the Madlanga Commission, an allegation she has denied.

The DA said it had sought legal advice on any recusal request.

But it was in response to questions from EFF leader Julius Malema that Mkhwanazi delivered another bombshell, calling on parliament to probe how former IPID boss McBride interacted with forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, the meeting venues, cellphone locations, where they met and the way they engaged in terms of investigations.

He said he was told by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff Cedric Nkabinde that operations of IPID were planned, coordinated and executed at O’Sullivan’s house.

“I am to require such be investigated in detail because the phone will put McBride, in this place, put Paul O’Sullivan in this place, Nkabinde in this place and others. When that investigation is conluded nobody can deny it because we will know exactly all of them were operating, guided by Paul O’Sullivan.”

Mkhwanazi told Malema he was interested to know the author of a report that was produced wherein the City of Johannesburg and the National Commissioner wrote to the State Security Agency asking about the legality or otherwise of a gadget bought by the Metro when suspended Deputy Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya was in charge of security there.

He said he was interested to know how the gadget was sourced from the UK.

Another investigation should be conducted on a similar gadget that was bought by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in 2010, when Sibiya was working at the DPCI.

Mkhwanazi said the investigation should look at whether it was bought legally and who the supplier and manufacturer was.

“I would want Parliament to check every financial record of Paul O’Sullivan and all individuals mentioned so that we draw the conclusion of whether Paul O’Sullivan is a conman or is an agent.

“Based on the investigation we will be able to conclude whether he is indeed a clean man or he is what is said in public, an agent,” Mkhwanazi said in response to Malema’s question on whether O’Sullivan is an MI6 (the UK’s foreign intelligence agency) agent.

He warned that if the government fails to act “the men and women in this country” are going take it upon themselves to do something drastic about this.

“It may not what this government wants because he has gone too deep, to show he has control all over.”

Mkhwanazi also touched on the IPID’s classified report on the Phala Phala investigation – this was classified by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

“When you hear a Minister of Police says I have a report from IPID that is classified, you need to ask yourself a question – you are not an intelligence structure (IPID) and yet you classified a report you don’t want to release.”

He questioned what the IPID report was doing with the minister and why the document was classified.

“These are things that need to be checked because it is where the system of government fails. You worked to create legislation to try to protect yourselves and the citizens, but if it is manipulated… that the minister can just decide I am classifying this and I am not releasing it to the public, perhaps, does the minister have security clearance and how do you classify something if you are not vetted?”

Malema raised the issue of whether O’Sullivan should be looked at as a person of interest in bringing certain gadgets to the country and whether he was involved in the destabilisation of the SAPS.

He asked Mkhwanazi why national police commissioner Fannie Masemola had not opened a case against O’Sullivan for committing a crime against the state.

“When you engage in destabilisation of the security cluster you are a security threat and therefore a case should be registered and must be investigated. He has gone on for long time and he has become a bully.”

mayibongwe.maqhian@inl.co,za

Source link