A Deliberate Strategy”: SAPS Expert Alleges Mchunu and Sibiya Systematically Shielded Criminals

“A Deliberate Strategy”: SAPS Expert Alleges Mchunu and Sibiya Systematically Shielded Criminals

A senior South African Police Service (SAPS) expert has delivered explosive testimony at the Madlanga Commission, alleging that former Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and former Crime Intelligence head Lebeya Sibiya orchestrated a deliberate and sophisticated campaign to protect certain criminals from investigation.

The testimony paints a picture of a parallel structure within the police, specifically designed to sabotage cases and ensure that well-connected individuals operated with impunity.

A System of Sabotage

According to the expert witness, the strategy was not one of simple negligence but of active interference. The alleged scheme involved a multi-pronged approach to cripple the police’s investigative capacity from within.

Key tactics described included the deliberate sidelining of experienced and honest investigators. These officers were allegedly transferred to inconsequential posts or faced spurious disciplinary charges, effectively removing them from sensitive investigations that threatened powerful interests.

Furthermore, the expert testified that Mchunu and Sibiya created an illegal, parallel reporting structure within Crime Intelligence. This shadowy channel bypassed official protocols, allowing them to control the flow of sensitive information and bury evidence that could lead to prosecutions of their allies.

Weaponizing Policy and Process

The commission heard how official policies and administrative processes were allegedly weaponized to serve this goal. Essential resources for high-priority investigations would be mysteriously delayed or denied. Requests for surveillance or operational funding were bogged down in endless red tape, stalling probes until they grew cold.

This created an environment where dedicated police officers felt “handcuffed,” unable to perform their duties while watching implicated individuals walk free. The expert stated that this was a calculated move to demoralize the honest rank and file and ensure the success of their alleged scheme.

Defying the Odds to Protect the Connected

The core of the allegation is that Mchunu and Sibiya “defied the odds.” They allegedly worked against the very institution they were mandated to lead, expending significant energy to protect criminals instead of the public. The expert’s statement suggests that their actions were not random but formed a coherent, if sinister, strategy to pervert the course of justice for specific beneficiaries.

This testimony provides a forensic backbone to long-held suspicions of systemic corruption within the upper echelons of the SAPS during that era. It moves the narrative from vague claims of wrongdoing to specific allegations of a coordinated strategy to undermine the rule of law.

The Madlanga Commission continues to unravel a complex web of alleged state capture within the police service, with this latest testimony pointing directly at how the highest offices could be used to shield criminal activity from scrutiny.

{Source: IOL}

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