The Western Cape police ombud Oswald Reddy, who is a retired cop, has been tasked with investigating whether there are dubious links between gangsters and officers in the province.

This after Daily Maverick on Wednesday reported on a judgment, by Judge Daniel Thulare, that said evidence in a gang-related case suggested members of the 28s gang had corrupted not only low-ranking police officers in the Western Cape, but also the management structure.

A section of the judgment, which was delivered in the Western Cape high court on 17 October, reads: 

“The evidence suggests that the senior management of the [South African Police Service] SAPS in the province has been penetrated to the extent that the 28 gang has access to the table where the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in the Western Cape sits with his senior managers and lead[s] them in the study of crime, develop[s] crime prevention strategies and decide[s] on tactics and approach to the safety and security of inhabitants of the Western Cape. 

“This includes penetration of and access to the sanctity of the reports by specialised units like the Anti-Gang Unit and Crime Intelligence, to the Provincial Commissioner.”

Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut, in response to a Daily Maverick query about the judgment, said: “SAPS Legal Services in the Western Cape is currently looking at the judgment cited in your enquiry, and this office will reserve our right to respond to the matter at this stage.”

‘Horrific corruption’

In a statement issued on Thursday 27 October, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the judgment “highlighted alleged horrific and deep-rooted corruption and collusion between the SAPS and members of the so-called 28’s gang.”

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The statement said that in a recent shooting in Lavender Hill, a gang hotspot in Cape Town, an 11-year-old was killed.

“It is tragedies like this that horrify me and our citizens. For how much longer must our communities continue to live in fear of gangs?

“This court judgment puts a huge question mark on the role of SAPS in possibly aiding these atrocities, when they are in fact the mandated body to be tackling them,” Winde said.

“We will not stand by as gangsterism runs rampant and communities are traumatised. We are taking action.”

Commission of inquiry

He announced that he had instructed Reddy to investigate the links between police officers and gangsters as detailed in the judgment. Once he was provided with the outcomes of Reddy’s investigation, Winde would decide what needed to be done next.

He asked: “Is there sufficient evidence and concern to warrant establishing a Commission of Inquiry to probe serious allegations of links between gangs and members of the South African Police Service… in the province — among them senior officials?”

Winde also pointed to Police Minister Bheki Cele:

“We hope to finally address and stem the rot that is alleged to have set in within the SAPS under Minister Cele’s watch… There is also no doubt in my mind that President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to fire Minister Cele.”

Daily Maverick requested a response to this from Cele’s spokesperson, but this was not forthcoming at the time of publication.

‘Taking our own action’

Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen said the judgement “horrified” him.

“Various current and previous cases have highlighted the alleged corrupt relationship between certain SAPS members and gangsters,” he said.

Allen also voiced concerns about Cele. 

“In the interests of Western Cape residents, who suffer gang violence on a daily basis, we, therefore, need to take our own steps,” he said. 

Daily Maverick on Thursday reported that the judgment delivered on 17 October was against Elcardo Adams and Alfonso Cloete. The duo unsuccessfully tried to get a decision that they should not be released on bail, overturned.

Adams was accused of being the head of the Mobsters, a faction of the 28s gang, which he denied. Adams stands accused of several crimes including murders. DM

Caryn Dolley has spent years tracing the footprints of kingpins from across the world. In her latest book Clash of the Cartels, Dolley provides unprecedented insight into how specific drug cartels and syndicates have operated via South Africa, becoming embroiled in deadly violence in the country and bolstering local criminal networks. Available for pre-order from the Daily Maverick Shop here.