Cape Town - A high-ranking police officer has lodged a formal complaint against his bosses, claiming they let his son’s killers walk free after a sloppy investigation.
Major-General Greg Goss, who is the Cluster Commander of eight police stations, including Mitchell’s Plain and Lentegeur, says he knows for a fact that the 28s gang is responsible for murdering his son, Greg Goss Junior, 29.
Greg was shot and killed in front of his house in Eclipse Street, Elsies River, on July 28, 2014.
Two other people, who Goss believes were the intended targets, were injured in the shooting.
Since lodging his complaint on February 5, four senior police officers, whose names are known to the Daily Voice, have been placed under investigation.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice, a disgusted Goss says he is disappointed in his colleagues, and will consider taking civil action against the police service if the matter is not resolved.
Goss says his son, who had twins who are now aged three, was working in the security industry when his life was taken.
“Not only as a father, but as a person who is responsible for other people’s cases, this organisation [SAPS] has really let me down,” said Goss.
“Because if you can investigate a murder case in this fashion, how do you investigate a case which is less serious?
“Those [officers] that did this are currently still in their jobs…we are going to investigate them.
“But the damage that they have done cannot be reversed, because you can never charge [my son’s murder suspects] again.
“And this is also what the community is facing every day.”
Goss addressed his complaint to the Office of the President, the Minister of Police, Minister of Justice, National Prosecuting Authority and the National Commissioner of Police.
Three men were arrested for murder and attempted murder, with one turning State witness.
However, both accused were acquitted on December 7, 2015, due to a lack of evidence linking them to the murder.
Goss said there were a number of incongruencies with the police investigation, including:
* A suspect, who turned State witness, later changed his statement, saying he could not identify the killers, despite giving police their names.
* The homes of the accused were never searched for the murder weapon.
* The murder weapon, which was found two months later, was never linked to his son’s case, but it was linked to 15 other cases.
* Crime scene photographs, including the post-mortem, were not included in the docket.
* An application for cellphone records of the accused to be examined was not actioned.
Goss said despite his status, he never interfered with the investigation, and left it in the hands of men he thought were capable.
He was shocked when the suspects were released last year, after the State witness changed his story in the dock.
The witness originally identified the suspects to the cops, saying he grew up with them.
But 18 months after the murder, he claimed he wasn’t sure anymore if they were the shooters.
“When he was charged with perjury, he [the witness] made a confession that it is the people. But nothing happened with this case,” explained Goss.
“As a result, [the suspects] were released on a section 174, which means you are free and cannot be charged again for the same offence.”
Goss said detectives didn’t even know the murder weapon had been found.
“A suspect was arrested in Bishop Lavis two or three months later in possession of that firearm,” said Goss.
Twenty minutes before my son was shot, a businessman was shot in Ravensmead with the same firearm.
“A point that I want to make in this thing is that I know the 28s shot my son,” added Goss.
“As to the motive, my understanding is that the [State] witness is the person that they wanted to shoot.”
Goss believes the police officials in charge of his son’s case should be brought to book for their alleged sloppy work.
“A life has been taken and the perpetrators are free to continue killing people,” he said.
“I want to know what steps will be taken against the culprits for not complying with their official duties and responsibilities, as enshrined in the constitution and more particular the SAPS Police Act.”
Daily Voice