Public Protector Thuli Madonsela will complete her assessment of all the complaints she has received relating to crime intelligence chief Richard Mdluli before deciding on what action to take.
The assessment will be completed this weekend.
Her spokeswoman, Kgalalelo Masibi, said Madonsela had received several requests for probes into the Mdluli issue, some of which were being assessed.
Meanwhile, national police spokesman Brigadier Lindela Mashigo confirmed on Monday that Mdluli had resumed his duties as crime intelligence boss last week.
Last week, Mashigo announced that the suspensions of Mdluli and Major-General Solomon Lazarus had been lifted, but stressed that it was the result of an internal process and would “not be discussed further in the public domain”.
The decision to lift the suspensions has sparked allegations of political interference, but both President Jacob Zuma and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa have denied this.
Mdluli was suspended last year after being arrested for murder and fraud. The charges were withdrawn.
Lazarus was suspended pending an investigation into his and other officials’ alleged abuse of the division’s R200 million secret services account.
DA police spokeswoman Dianne Kohler Barnard confirmed on Monday that she had written to Madonsela to request a probe into the decision to lift the suspension of Mdluli.
Kohler Barnard has asked that the investigation also cover the termination of the internal police disciplinary process involving Mdluli. She has also asked for the inquiry to be extended to include Lazarus.
Dave Stewart, spokesman for the FW de Klerk Foundation, confirmed that the foundation had asked Madonsela in February to investigate the manner in which charges against Mdluli had been dropped.
“We are very concerned about the manner in which the fraud and murder charges were dropped against Mdluli and the manner in which his suspension was dealt with,” he said.
While Masibi did not specify from where Madonsela had received complaints on the Mdluli matter, she said the public protector would assess all the Mdluli complaints together.
On Monday,
Mthethwa added his voice to earlier denials by Zuma that political interference had led to the lifting of Mdluli’s suspension.
Mthethwa also denied a report that acting police chief Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi had threatened to resign after being ordered by him to lift Mdluli’s suspension.
City Press newspaper reported at the weekend that Mkhwanazi, who was distressed at the levels of political interference in the saga, was waiting to attend a meeting with Zuma to discuss vacating his post.
City Press also reported that the Inspector-General of Intelligence, advocate Faith Radebe, had been pressured by “senior ministers” to withdraw a letter to Mkhwanazi suggesting the reinstatement of charges of fraud and corruption against Mdluli, and that she had been traumatised by this.
On Monday, Radebe’s legal adviser, Jay Govender, refused to comment.
Political Bureau