Paul O'Sullivan's two days of bombshell claims: Allegations across SAPS and Presidency
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan delivered two days of sweeping, often explosive testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, touching on senior police leadership, political interference, presidential advisers, intelligence funding and his own past controversies — before proceedings were adjourned due to ill health.
Day One: Rogue generals, spy tapes and old political wars
O’Sullivan opened his testimony on Tuesday with direct attacks on senior police figures, describing certain generals — including KwaZulu-Natal commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and national commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola — as “rogue”.
He revisited his long-running campaign against former national commissioner Jackie Selebi, outlining how his investigations contributed to Selebi’s conviction and 15-year prison sentence in 2010 following evidence linked to convicted drug trafficker Glen Agliotti.
He also revived the political tensions of the mid-2000s, arguing that law enforcement structures were used during the bitter feud between former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, particularly in the run-up to the ANC’s pivotal 2007 Polokwane conference.
O’Sullivan referenced the so-called “spy tapes”, which were later cited when fraud and corruption charges against Zuma were withdrawn in 2009.
He also denied claims that he acted as a foreign agent, stating that although he holds Irish, British and South African citizenship, his loyalty is to South Africa.
Day Two: AfriForum, Phala Phala and Ramaphosa’s adviser
On the second day, MPs shifted focus to O’Sullivan’s affiliations and influence.
He confirmed he is a member of AfriForum and defended the circumstances surrounding his 2017 arrest, maintaining he had been visiting his attorney at the time.
He rejected allegations that he investigated or assisted President Cyril Ramaphosa in relation to the Phala Phala matter, saying he only became aware of it through media reports and later opened a perjury case against former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser.
Under questioning from ANC MP Khusela Diko, O’Sullivan disclosed that then presidential adviser Bejani Chauke sought his informal advice during the process to appoint a permanent national police commissioner after General Khehla Sitole’s removal in early 2022.
He said his organisation, Forensics for Justice, conducted lifestyle audits on eight shortlisted candidates and recommended that six were unsuitable for appointment. Sitole was ultimately replaced by General Fannie Masemola on 31 March 2022.
O’Sullivan also questioned Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi’s handling of alleged corruption linked to the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), and raised concerns about the Crime Intelligence Secret Services Account.
He further claimed that a statement presented by Mkhwanazi on 6 July last year was prepared on a computer in Pretoria, suggesting central coordination beyond KwaZulu-Natal.
A long history with Ramaphosa
He told the committee that in 1997, while lecturing at a South African Police Service training centre, he trained Ramaphosa as a volunteer police reservist. At the time, Ramaphosa was a businessman and senior ANC figure, not yet president.
“In 1997 one of our students was Cyril Ramaphosa who is today the president of South Africa but then he wasn’t even a politician, he was a businessman,” O’Sullivan said earlier in his testimony.
O’Sullivan said he lectured in criminal law, police administration, investigation techniques and the preparation of sworn statements. One of the modules, he told MPs, dealt with constitutional principles and the Bill of Rights — a point that drew interest given Ramaphosa’s role as one of the key figures in the drafting of South Africa’s 1996 Constitution.
“The Constitution had only been issued in 1996, now we were in 1997 and it was very important that these police officials should understand,” O’Sullivan said.
He described the situation as ironic, noting that Ramaphosa — who had been centrally involved in negotiating and drafting the Constitution — was attending training that included constitutional principles.
“It was ironic that Cyril had to listen to training on the Constitution but the good news is, he agreed fully, that the training that the people were getting was correct,” O’Sullivan told the committee.
The disclosure resurfaced amid scrutiny over O’Sullivan’s subsequent interactions with figures within The Presidency, including his claim this week that then presidential adviser Bejani Chauke sought his informal input during the 2022 process to appoint a new national police commissioner.
O’Sullivan has described himself as a former British Army intelligence officer who later relocated to South Africa, where he became a police reservist and founded Forensics for Justice, an organisation focused on exposing alleged corruption within law enforcement structures.
Proceedings halted
Shortly after 7pm on Wednesday, O’Sullivan complained of excruciating spinal pain linked to previous surgery. Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane adjourned proceedings, with testimony set to resume at a later date.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News
Get your news on the go. Download the latest IOL App for Android and IOS now.