Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa’s family said he and his wife, Philisiwe Buthelezi paid for every single brick of the perimeter wall at his home as they denied claims made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that Crime Intelligence slush funds had been used.

Mkhwanazi during his testimony on Tuesday, before Parliament’s ad hoc committee inquiry to elaborate on his allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system, said that Crime Intelligence had secretly built a R600,000 wall at Mthethwa’s home in KwaMbonambi in KwaZulu-Natal.

Mkhwanazi added that he believes the wall was built without Mthethwa’s knowledge or request.

“We are sitting today, the country is in mourning because we lost one of our ambassadors in France. But that ambassador was a Minister of Police.

“As you switch on the television and you look at the homestead of the former minister, you’re going to see a very big wall, a perimeter wall that was built by the money from Crime Intelligence. But nobody was held accountable for that, and the reports are there.”

Mthethwa, who was serving as South Africa’s Ambassador to France, died in Paris last week after reportedly falling from a 22nd-floor hotel window – hiss body is expected to arrive in the country on Friday.

Mkhwanazi said there was a rogue network within Crime Intelligence that has allegedly manipulated ministers and interfered with oversight bodies.

“It’s members from Crime Intelligence that took the money out of the Secret Fund Account to make that wall — so they could get control of the minister. Tomorrow they could loot that money on their own, and the minister couldn’t say anything,” he told the Ad Hoc Committee.

“Crime Intelligence has been doing a lot of bad things, and those things were brought to the attention of the Inspector General of Intelligence. Reports that were supposed to go to Parliament to hold people accountable never reached you,” Mkhwanazi said.

However, Mthethwa’s relative Khulekani Mthethwa denied the claims, saying the family had no knowledge of what Mkhwanazi had said in parliament.

“We do not know anything about Mkhwanazi’s claims. What we know, as a family, is that the house including the perimeter wall was built by Mthethwa (Nathi) and his wife so we do not even want to hear anything about this house,” said Khulekani.

He and other family members were speaking outside the late Ambassador’s home on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli and his entire cabinet visited the Mthethwa family to pay respect to the late ambassador. Ntuli hailed the ambassador for his contributions in various portfolios he held including his ambassadorial work in France. He announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa has honoured him with a state funeral category 2. Deputy President Paul Mashatile is expected to preside over the funeral and will deliver the eulogy on behalf of the president.

Mthethwa’s body is expected to arrive in the country on Friday and the funeral will take place on Sunday at the local sports field.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

Source link