Provincial police crime intelligence boss Major-General Deena Moodley says his ousting from his post is part of a “greater scheme” by acting police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to get rid of “the Indian mafia” from intelligence.
And Moodley’s deputy Brigadier Sithembiso Ndlovu, says his “transfer” from intelligence is because he refused to implicate Moodley in any wrongdoing and had not shown his allegiance to African bosses in the police service.
These allegations by Moodley and Ndlovu are contained in further affidavits filed in Durban’s Labour Court ahead of a hearing this Friday in which they are challenging what they say are Mkhwanazi’s unlawful instructions that they be removed from their posts.
The men launched their urgent applications after being informed in March of their transfers – Moodley to Pinetown cluster commander and Ndlovu to Inanda crime prevention commander.
Mkhwanazi is opposing the applications, but has refused to disclose to the court the details of why he transferred the two senior police officers, saying it was not in the interests of crime intelligence.
He referred to “suspected criminal activities” and said the transfers were in the best interests of the police service and the public.
But Moodley says Mkhwanazi’s silence on what he is alleged to have done, is not playing fair – and smacks of arbitrary conduct motivated by ulterior motive.
As a policeman of 23 years – who has only ever received commendations and promotions – he was being denied basic rights, afforded even to criminals, said Moodley.
And, he said, how could it possibly be that he was unfit to head intelligence but fit to head up a cluster of station commanders?
Referring to comments Mkhwanazi allegedly made at a meeting of crime intelligence officers in March – and which have now apparently been reported to the equality court – Moodley says it is clear police management believe him to be part of the “Indian mafia”.
“This transfer is punitive,” he said.
Ndlovu, in his affidavit, refers to a meeting in February at which he alleges Mkhwanazi indicated he had to tell them what he knew about Moodley “and that I was myself guilty of corruption should I choose not to and that I would be facing the consequences should I not co-operate”.
“Those consequences have been my unlawful transfer,” he says.
He refers to another meeting in which he met a Brigadier Khumalo, the acting head of counter and security intelligence and Dumisani Zulu, section commander covert intelligence, in the parking lot of a Durban beachfront hotel.
He said: “Khumalo indicated that people are writing reports concerning senior members of crime intelligence and inferring that we were guilty of some sort of misconduct.”
He said Khumalo said he had been sent to the province to speak to individuals so they could be “saved”.
“Khumalo said something was coming and things were about to change… African members were to show their allegiance and demonstrate which side they were on.
“He informed me that Zulu and Mkhwanazi were there for African policemen and not for Indians and whites and that Africans must choose who they support.”
Both Moodley and Ndlovu challenged Mkhwanazi to tell them what they had allegedly done wrong so that they could defend themselves.
They said if the information was that sensitive, the commissioner could apply to the Labour Court for the hearing to be held “in camera”.
Earlier the Mercury reported that Moodley had previously been served with a letter of threatened suspension – for allegedly instructing officers to intercept cellphone calls of journalists – but, after making representations, the threat was withdrawn.
It was soon after this that he received his transfer notice.