The African Transformation Movement (ATM) made a sworn statement before the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on what they called the cover-up of the Phala Phala Wildlife Farm theft by high-ranking police officers.
ATM president Vuyo Zungula made the sworn statement at Ipid’s headquarters in Pretoria yesterday.
He was accompanied by Mzwanele Manyi and their legal representative, advocate Malesela Teffo.
In June, former State Security head Arthur Fraser accused Ramaphosa of money laundering and kidnapping.
Ramaphosa had failed to report a case of theft of money at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
Ipid is probing the alleged involvement of police officers.
ATM alleged that the cover up involves a former police commissioner as well as the current commissioner, whom they said knew about the theft but did not report a case.
Other complaints include the alleged illegal movement of the officials that were investigating the case.
“There is no reporting prescribed crime in terms of Section 13.2 of the SAPS Act of 1995. There is a confirmation that crime indeed was committed but it was not reported and the subsequent actions that were taken by the police in terms of meeting in no man’s land and apprehending a suspect was not done within the ambit of the law because the crimes were not committed.
“The other one was the unlawful interrogation of suspects; the critical one is kidnapping, because kidnapping speaks to the fundamentals of our country. The alleged suspects were unlawfully kidnapped,” said Zungula.
The party went to Ipid with an affidavit from Fraser and statements of the inspector-general of police in Namibia and a number of media reports.
Zungula said this was prima facie evidence to prove that there was a concealment of crime and corruption in the police force by the national police commissioner, Zungula.
“So we ask Ipid to investigate based on the prima facie evidence that is already in the public domain,” said Zungula.
Ipid said the investigators would now have to apply for the investigation to be opened with the executive director of Ipid, and that might take a while.
ATM wants Ipid to investigate whether or not police were involved in the cover-up.
“We’ve asked Ipid to investigate the police conduct, our focus is the conduct of the police. This starts from the commissioner to any other officer that falls under SAPS,” Zungula said.
He said their engagement with Ipid was fruitful and they are confident that investigations will proceed.
Zungula said they are hoping that South Africa must have functional institutions and that Ipid does its own mandate to make investigations that will give confidence to the people that issues concerning the criminality of the police were not a matter that could be swept under the carpet.
“We are going to put pressure on so that there are no delay tactics. Fortunately, the Namibian police have been very transparent when it comes to this issue, but police in South Africa have been evasive – that is why we want all institutions dealing with the matter to be supported.
He further sent a message to South Africa: “We can’t allow this criminal syndicate that is currently running in South Africa to continue. We have seen how Lieutenant-General Francinah Vuma said that Police Minister Bheki Cele wanted her to be killed and we can’t continue as if life is going on as normal if there are such allegations against the person who is entrusted to provide security to the people.”