Serious staff crackdowns, that seem tied to issues surrounding 28s gang boss accused Ralph Stanfield and possibly other organised crime suspects, are developing in the City of Cape Town and the South African Police Service (SAPS).

On Tuesday, 23 January 2024, the City and the police confirmed to Daily Maverick that certain staff members were the focus of internal scrutiny that has so far involved a dismissal, suspensions and a disciplinary process.

What is happening, or at least some of it, is directly or indirectly connected to investigations surrounding Stanfield.

Together with his wife Nicole Johnson, Stanfield was arrested in September last year in a case in which they are accused of crimes including vehicle theft.

Stanfield also faces an attempted murder charge.

The couple was previously detained in 2014 in a case involving allegations that corrupt cops at the police’s Central Firearm Registry created fraudulent firearm licences for them and other individuals.

Dismissal and two disciplinaries

Beyond their arrests, scandals that their names have cropped up in have been developing.

There are allegations of complicity with suspected criminals on the part of City of Cape Town staffers and at least one police officer.

The overall saga also ties into construction mafia crimes —violence and intimidation involving thugs wanting to dominate building projects – that have resulted in murder.

In one of the latest developments in the broader saga involving action being taken against City staff, on 23 January, the City confirmed its public housing director, Siphokazi September, was dismissed earlier this month.

She was referenced several times in a human settlements 2022/2023 quarterly performance report for the period covering April to June last year.

It said one of the “indicators” she was responsible for was “reconciliation of staff housing database to directorate schedules and to payroll (%).”

Another was for the percentage “implementation of public housing strategic interventions linked to asset management improvement plan”.

Other sections of the report referenced construction mafia crimes, saying: “Due to ongoing violence and intimidation which lead to four construction workers being shot, construction site being petrol bombed and ultimately the murder of a City official, the contracts of the two contractors were terminated for the Delft Symphony Way… project.”

In response to Daily Maverick questions about September, City of Cape Town spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “The City can confirm that Ms September was charged in a disciplinary process and summarily dismissed on 9 January 2024.

“The City can also confirm that the two other staff members are currently suspended for serious misconduct.”

He said the City was not yet prepared to discuss the charges connected to those matters because they were either under judicial review or had not yet progressed to disciplinary processes.

Tyhalibongo added: “The City is serious about following due process, accountability, transparency and consequence management, and ensuring that officials are charged if they are found guilty of misconduct in accordance with the labour legislation.”

Murder, investigations, blacklistings

Last month, in matters connected to Johnson, it emerged the City had blacklisted seven businesses linked to her — Johnson’s company Glomix House Brokers had been building houses for it.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Risky business — City of Cape Town blacklists companies linked to 28s gang case accused Nicole Johnson

The City had said it took that move due to reputational risk issues.

Meanwhile, the scandal goes back further.

Last year Sunday Times reported: “In [February 2023, in] a brazen bid to take control of lucrative building contracts, alleged associates of notorious Cape Town gang boss Ralph Stanfield allegedly threatened top City of Cape Town officials in their offices, warning them to hand over contracts…

“Two senior City of Cape Town officials, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, said Glomix and 15 other companies with links to Stanfield had managed to infiltrate the provincial and local government through both corruption and deception.”

The same month as those alleged happenings, in February 2023, a City official, Wendy Kloppers, was murdered in a shooting in Delft, at the Symphony Way Housing Project building site.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Murdered suspect’s signature suggests company ‘linked to 28s gang’ won defence contract

City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo last month told IOL that Kloppers was killed after the City refused to budge when gangsters demanded work from contractors there.

An investigation was subsequently launched into various companies.

Mbandazayo was also quoted in IOL saying: “The investigation also saw some of the officials from the Human Settlements Department being suspended and others are attending disciplinary hearings.

“They were even tailor-making tenders before they went out so those same companies could easily apply and be granted those tenders.”

Cash and ‘notorious individuals’

There have been other issues relating to housing — in other words, human settlements — that have come under scrutiny and caused controversy in the City.

Daily Maverick understands that the recent dismissal and suspensions could link to those previous issues.

In March last year, Malusi Booi was fired from the post of mayoral committee member for human settlements after his City of Cape Town office was raided during a fraud and corruption investigation.

Read more in Daily Maverick: SAPS investigating allegations Cape Town mayco member Malusi Booi ‘took cash from gangsters’

According to a police application for the search warrant relating to Booi, electronic equipment was meant to be seized and scoured for keywords including “tenders” and “payments,” as well as the names of Stanfield and alleged Sexy Boys gang leader Jerome “Donkie” Booysen.

A police statement relating to the search, date stamped the same day as the March 2023 office raid, alleged that Booi “received gratification in the form of cash” and that “these cash payments are paid by notorious individuals in the criminal underworld… to facilitate the provision of information regarding the City’s tenders in the Human Settlements Directorate.”

Booi was not criminally charged and at the end of October last year, he resigned as a councillor, saying he wanted to get on with his life and clear his name.

Cop complicity question

Meanwhile, the fallout from issues linked to organised crime investigations, and to Stanfield particularly, also extends into a national government component — the SAPS.

During court proceedings following Stanfield and Johnson’s arrests in September last year, an affidavit from the investigating officer in the case, Lieutenant Colonel Christiaan van Renen, was read out.

Read more in Daily Maverick: ‘I want to empty a gun in his head’ – chilling affidavit about alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield’s ‘plans’

It contained allegations relating to a police officer referenced in it simply as “Col. Africa” — Colonel Africa.

His first name was not mentioned.

Based on Van Renen’s affidavit, Colonel Africa appeared to be hesitant to deal with the matter for which Stanfield and Johnson were arrested in September last year.

One of the allegations was that a complainant against Stanfield had gone to the Bishop Lavis police station to report a vehicle theft, that Stanfield and Johnson were allegedly behind, to Colonel Africa.

‘You know what will happen to you’

“She told Col. Africa that she knows where the Toyota Fortuner is and that he can send the police to seize the vehicle. She further showed Col. Africa the papers of her vehicle,” Van Renen’s affidavit said.

“Col. Africa told her, ‘As jy nou ‘n saak maak, jy weet mos wat gaan gebeur met jou en jou kinders’. [‘If you make a case now, you know what’s going to happen to you and your children.’]

“Col. Africa also told her, ‘Nee dit werk nie so nie, jy moet jou mind op maak oor wat jy nou gaan doen’. [‘No, it doesn’t work like that, you must make up your mind about what you will now do.’]”

According to Van Renen’s affidavit, the complainant had also told Colonel Africa that she had the keys to the vehicle.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Another cousin of alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield murdered, this time while Stanfield in custody

In response, he told her that the vehicle was at Simon Stanfield’s house and that Simon did not have the keys.

Simon Stanfield is a cousin of Stanfield’s who was murdered in a shooting near Blikkiesdorp in Delft in March last year.

Police disciplinary

When asked if any action had been taken against Colonel Africa, Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut told Daily Maverick on Tuesday: “The matter cited in your enquiry is currently the subject of [a] disciplinary process that is underway.

“Due to the fact that this is an internal affair, this office will not be elaborating further on the matter.”

Stanfield, Johnson and three other co-accused are expected back in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court next month in the car theft case.

The couple was previously denied bail.

Johnson again tried to be released from custody after hearing she would not be freed, but that was also denied earlier this month.

She and Stanfield therefore remain in custody. DM