The Puppeteer: Explosive Claims of a Private Eye’s Grip on SA’s Crime-Fighting Bodies

In a dramatic session that laid bare the deep and often hidden fractures within South Africa’s justice system, a senior police insider has painted a picture of a criminal justice ecosystem not run by its appointed leaders, but manipulated by a private individual with no official title.

Cedrick Nkabinde, the chief of staff in the police ministry, stood before a parliamentary committee and pointed a steady finger at well known investigator Paul O’Sullivan. His testimony was not just an accusation. It was a story of personal grievance and a warning of what he called “the real state capture,” a shadowy influence operating in plain sight.

“He Doesn’t Play a Role, But He’s In Charge”

Nkabinde’s central claim is as simple as it is staggering. He alleges that Paul O’Sullivan holds de facto power over the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“He doesn’t play any role in SAPS, but he’s in charge,” Nkabinde told the visibly attentive MPs. “He can send one email and everything stops.”

To illustrate this power, Nkabinde recounted a deeply personal story. After a period outside of government, he applied for a position within the SAPS. He believed the job was his after a successful interview process. That was, he claims, until O’Sullivan sent an email to the then national commissioner.

“In that email he said, ‘you dare appoint that man Nkabinde,'” he testified, revealing that O’Sullivan had even copied him on the message. The email allegedly concluded with a personal threat: “Nkabinde, how do you think I’d miss this because I told you I won’t let my eyes off you?”

Nkabinde was not appointed. For him, that single email was proof of an invisible veto power that overrides official government hiring processes.

A Web of Influence and a “Well-Known Fact”

Nkabinde’s allegations stretch back years to his time at Ipid. He described an environment where O’Sullivan was not an outsider, but the de facto boss.

“He was in charge of us,” Nkabinde stated, claiming O’Sullivan would hold meetings in Ipid offices, instruct staff on what to do, and even interview witnesses using Ipid letterhead. He portrayed a directorate that had been co opted by a private agenda.

The ultimate goal of this interference, according to Nkabinde, was a high level political play. He alleged that a key project in 2017, orchestrated by O’Sullivan and former Ipid head Robert McBride, was to ensure then acting national police commissioner General Khomotso Phahlane was not permanently appointed.

“It was a well known fact that McBride wanted to become a national commissioner,” Nkabinde said, claiming they targeted anyone in that seat. He described a clandestine meeting at O’Sullivan’s home, attended by a mix of Ipid officials, opposition party representatives, and AfriForum, whom he said assured the group that funds were available for the “mission.”

A Live Intimidation and a Broken Partnership

The testimony took a tense, real time turn when Nkabinde revealed he had just received a text message from O’Sullivan. He read it aloud to the committee: “Get ready you lying crook. I am going to make sure you spend some years in prison. You were bribed by Mkhwanazi and Mapula. Now you will pay for your crimes, guaranteed.”

This, he suggested, was the kind of pressure he and others like KZN commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi had been fighting against. He became emotional speaking about his former ally, hinting at a fractured partnership in a battle against a force they believe has compromised the very institutions designed to protect the public.

Nkabinde’s testimony goes beyond a personal feud. It raises fundamental questions about who truly pulls the levers of power in South Africa’s fight against crime, and whether the official structures of accountability have been hijacked by unofficial ones.

{Source: TimesLive}

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