Pretoria - Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane is expected to set the record straight when he briefs the media in Pretoria on Thursday about allegations of fraud and corruption within the SA Police Service.
Independent Media published a story in October on a forensic report which Phahlane allegedly sat on, which implicated him on irregular recruitment processes and failure to address internal grievances within the forensic services division.
The multimillion rand forensic report also blew the lid on allegations of corruption and fraud within the division. The incidents date from 2011 during Phahlane’s tenure as divisional commissioner in the division.
The report, which according to sources cost R6 million, was handed over to the police union Popcru by suspended police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, in April last year.
It was commissioned after a group of officers, who are Popcru members attached to the forensic services and criminal record centre division, approached the Cosatu union with the damning allegations of fraud, corruption and maladministration.
They claimed that Phahlane had shown little interest in implementing its findings and that it was “gathering dust” in his office.
The union alleged that the appointments of the members - described in the confidential report only as Brigadier Annette Morapedi, Brigadier De Wit and Colonel Daku - were irregular.
It was recommended that the appointments be reviewed at national level. The officers, who spoke to Independent Media on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said at the time that Phahlane had instituted a civil case against them for defamation and the matter was due to be heard in the high court in Pretoria next year.
“In the report, we were referred to as whistle-blowers. How did Phahlane know that it’s us? We aren’t sleeping on this matter. We’re fighting to get our names cleared.”
They also suspected that their cellphones were bugged, and that they had been overlooked for promotions for speaking out, and that their movements were under surveillance.
The media briefing will be held at the SAPS Tshwane Academy in Pretoria West at 4.30pm.