Johannesburg – A policeman testifying in defence of former crime intelligence boss, Richard Mdluli and his co-accused Mthembeni Mthunzi, in the Johannesburg High court on Friday, fuelled speculation that Mdluli was the victim of a conspiracy plot.
Brigadier Thabo Ramela, who was working at Vosloorus police station while Mdluli was still the branch commander in 1999, told the court that he filled in for Mdluli's position for a couple of months while they were still looking for a successor.
He disputed the claims that he occupied Mdluli's position in 1999, instead he said it took place in 2000, and also said even Mdluli's replacement, former Lieutenant Colonel Christopher de Goede also took office that year.
Ramela said that during his time as branch commander he never came across dockets which were allegedly hidden in a safe. Mdluli has been accused of keeping two dockets, implicating him in an attempted murder and kidnapping case locked in a safe in his office.
De Goede had testified last year that he found the dockets shortly after taking over as branch commander of the Vosloorus police station in 1999, after Mdluli was transferred to George.
During his testimony, Ramela produced a diary which he apparently had used to document his daily work while still at Vosloorus. In one of the entries in his diary, he wrote that when Mdluli left his position he gave him keys to the safe, the office, cars and log book for vehicles.
"I was given these so that I can temporarily replace the position of Mdluli until a replacement for him was found," Ramela said.
Prosecutor Deon Barnard asked Ramela why Mdluli's signature was also not on the diary presented in court.
"He didn't have his diary, if he had it he would have signed on it. Again, he was in a hurry and we didn't think of it."
Barnard told Ramela that he was surprised he managed to record receiving keys from Mdluli but had failed to capture the handing over of keys to De Goede.
Ramela explained that he didn't personally hand the keys to De Goede because he sent a white officer to collect all the keys three days prior for him to resume office.
"I don't understand why he failed to approach me and approached a white guy. Even when he came to work on Monday, I tried to talk to him he would tell me that he's busy and he will call me. I always found him in the company of the white officer who collected the keys from me."
Ramela said he tried several times to approach De Goede about the handing of keys but he never gave him a chance and always preferred to talk to the white guy. "You could see that he was racist," he said.
Barnard asked the witness if he was sure about the contents which were left in safe after he was temporarily acting as branch commander.
Ramela confidently replied that there were no dockets and even when he left the office there was nothing.
Barnard asked him why De Goede would claim that there were dockets in the safe if there were not any.
"I think you know very well that in 2000 democracy was very young. White people didn't want to see black people being promoted, so maybe he wanted to link Mdluli to the crime," Ramela responded.
He told the court that if the dockets were indeed found, he was never made aware until now on the witness stand.
His testimony supported Mdluli's claims that there had been a huge conspiracy plot by ranking police officers and Hawks to block him from progressing in his career.
Warrant officer Samuel Dhlomo who testified on Monday also told the court that he was offered more than R1 million, a house in Cape Town or Durban, a job for his wife and free education for his children if he implicated Mdluli in the murder charges.
On Wednesday, warrant officer Solomon Mashamaite who took Alice Manana's statement after she was shot, said he was intimidated and coerced by the Hawks to change the statement and implicate Mdluli in Manana's attack.
Mdluli and Mthunzi are on trial for allegedly intimidating, kidnapping and assaulting Oupa Ramogibe. They have pleaded not guilty.
Mdluli had a long-term relationship with Tshidi Buthelezi. During her relationship with him, she met Ramogibe and they began a relationship and later got married.
Mdluli allegedly went through extreme lengths to get Ramogibe and Buthelezi to break up.
Mdluli and Mthunzi allegedly intimidated, kidnapped and assaulted Ramogibe. He was shot dead in 1999 and no one was ever convicted of his murder.
Mdluli has been accused of sabotaging the investigation.
The matter was postponed to February 27.