Police Minister Fikile Mbalula announced on Wednesday that controversial head of crime intelligence Richard Mdluli, who had been suspended for six years, has now been relieved of his duties.
“I wish to announce that Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli who held the position of divisional commissioner, albeit under a long suspension, with mutual agreement, will be relieved of his duties with immediate effect.
"This enables us to move to the next chapter and instil stability and vision at CI [crime intelligence],” Mbalula told reporters in Pretoria.
“I have instructed General [Khehla] Sitole [SAPS Commissioner] to henceforth set out to appoint a fit and proper man or woman into the position without further delay.
"Again, I am saying we have no time to waste time. Included in my stability plan was to fill the vacancy of deputy national commissioner of crime detection. Lieutenant-General Tsumane resumed this task last year.”
Mbalula said the police leadership is “applying our minds” on filling the new vacancies of deputy national commissioner responsible for management intervention and divisional commissioner for detectives. These positions would be filled before the end of January.
Regarding the filling of the head of the Directorate for Priority Crimes (the Hawks), Mbalula said the process was already under way.
“I have started with a process of appointing the new DPCI head as guided by SAPS Act. An advertisement for the vacancy has been published, and we anticipate finality of the process before the end of February 2018.
"An independent interviewing panel will be appointed to advise me on fit and proper shortlist of candidates to choose from and in this regard I invite our members and all South Africans who have this career passion to apply,” said Mbalula.
“The closing date for applications to reach my office is the 9th of February 2018, then after the panel shall conduct interviews and make a shortlist to be submitted to me for consideration. Further details are available on department’s website.”
The outspoken police minister said part of the turnaround plan in South Africa’s crime fighting strategy is “to have intelligence-led policing, to disturb, disrupt and erupt on crime”.
He said to achieve the goals, the crime intelligence unit must be stable.
“We could not achieve this without having stability at crime intelligence division as well. In the past five years, CI has seen 12 acting divisional commissioners – this alarmed me greatly when I resumed my position and made it a core short-term plan to fix it. It is now fixed,” he said.
In 2011, Mdluli was suspended as head of crime intelligence but he has drawn his full salary and bonuses since then while the position had been filled only in an acting capacity.
Mdluli and co-accused, former policeman Mthembeni Mthunzi, are facing charges of intimidation, kidnapping, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and defeating the ends of justice for a 15-year-old case relating to the 1999 kidnapping and murder of Oupa Ramogibe.
Ramogibe allegedly received death threats after marrying Mdluli’s former girlfriend. He was warned to leave her or he would be killed.
Ramogibe had reported the threats to the police before he was killed. A case of attempted murder had been opened by the police.
At the time, Mdluli was the station commander of the Vosloorus police station in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, and was accused of sabotaging the investigation. Mdluli denied the allegations.
In November 2012, an inquest into the killing of Ramogibe cleared Mdluli of any involvement in the murder.
The charges of kidnapping and assault relate to allegations that he intimidated and assaulted the family and friends of his ex-girlfriend to find out where she had moved to when she got married.
The chairman of Parliament's portfolio committee on police welcomed Mbalulua's announcement.
“Lieutenant-General Mdluli’s discharge will enable police management to appoint a permanent leader with the requisite skills, energy and innovative plans to guide the division to deliver on its mandate.
"The stability brought by the appointment of a permanent leader is essential if the unit is to add value in intelligence-driven policing,” Francois Beukman said in a statement.
He said the committee has long been worried about the leadership vacuum in a key position, as well as Mdluli's lengthy suspension with full benefits, without the conclusion of a disciplinary process.
The Democratic Alliance demanded that Mbalula make public the financial benefit with which Mdluli was leaving the police service.
"The national police commissioner, General Khehla Sithole, confirmed that Mdluli was granted early termination of service and is therefore entitled to the usual benefits associated with," DA police spokesman Zakhele Mbhele said.
Mbhele said Mdluli's seven years of paid suspension saw him earn more than R8 million for doing nothing.
"The minister must fully inform the public of the exact financial benefits that will accrue to Mdluli. The DA believes that the public has a right to know these details.
"If Mdluli’s disciplinary proceedings had been speedily concluded and he had been axed, he would not have been entitled to the benefits that Mbalula has now agreed to grant him."