What is it that allows our government here in South Africa to have our crime intelligence boss to firstly be suspended while there were investigations against him for murder and corruption, then to be re-instated, and then removed from his position?
The plot could not have been thought out by any mini-series script writer as it is just too far-fetched.
My personal musings about the character of the person who is in charge of national intelligence is that the person must be above reproach in all aspects of their lives. But here we have a person who was under investigation for murdering his lover’s husband, Oupa Ramogibe in 1999. Now most other countries would have had him out of his position so quickly that he wouldn’t even had time to wipe his nose!
Then charges of murder and fraud are controversially withdrawn in February even though the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) seemed to have a good case at the time.
Then there are the investigations of corruption (more below) and nepotism that just cloud the water even more.
BUT, it is a matter of record that crime intelligence boss Lieutenant General Richard Mdluli then writes a very strange letter to our very esteemed president Zuma in which he mentions that if he is allowed back to work as crime intelligence boss he will would “assist the president to succeed next year” meaning that he would ensure that Zuma is re-elected as president at the next election. Now if that isn’t trying to pull strings I just don’t know! But never the less, suddenly Mdluli is back in his office as if nothing was being investigated against him.
Then suddenly, Mdluli is removed from his office and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s makes a statement to Parliament showing that Mdluli was removed to allow state law adviser Enver Daniels the opportunity to investigate claims made by Mdluli that senior police officers were plotting against him. These allegations were also included in the letter to president Zuma but were very strangely phrased.
ANC insiders and securocrats have been puzzled by Mdluli’s perceived closeness to Zuma, since he has no struggle record. And this seems to be a pre-requisite to be in the inner circles which will ensure you have a top job no matter what your sins are!
Now Mdluli is saying that his sudden removal from office has nothing to do with the serious allegations of corruption and nepotism against him. Yet from another source we get to hear that he and other senior high-ranking officers were involved in the looting of an R200m secret service account for their own personal benefit.
This secret fund was pumped into a front company which by a strange twist of fate was started by the apartheid-era police. Universal Technical Enterprises (UTE) was established in 1988 by the security branch and used by its bomb-making unit to buy equipment to blow up anti-apartheid activists. (see below)
The current investigations against Mdluli has allegedly uncovered that crime intelligence ha sbeen using UTE as a front to siphon of funds, buy luxury vehicles, cover personal debts and pay for private flights all over the place.
During the investigations by the Hawks (Special Investigation Branch) it found that Mdluli employed at least seven family members within crime intelligence, kitted them out with luxury cars and rented houses he owned to his own division. (How did he get to own houses that could be rented out?)
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Below is a history of the front company being used by intelligence which I found in the City Press newspaper. It makes for interesting reading!
Johannesburg – The front company allegedly used by crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and other agents to plunder a secret “slush fund”, was started by the apartheid-era police.
Universal Technical Enterprises (UTE) – a police front company – was established in 1988 by the security branch and used by its bomb-making unit to buy equipment to blow up anti-apartheid activists.
UTE was set up by former security policemen and co-owned by, among, others a notorious apartheid bomb-planter and killer until 2004.
The existence and abuse of UTE and other crime intelligence front companies are exposed in affidavits made by two top Hawks investigators and in a top-secret report to acting police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The directors of UTE are chief financial officer of crime intelligence Solly Lazarus and former crime intelligence boss Mulangi Mphego, who resigned from the police but is still listed as a director.
Company records show that UTE was set up in May 1988 and that its original directors were Wybrand du Toit, Christoffel Breytenbach and Adam Helberg.
City Press was told last week that UTE was among a host of former security branch front companies and was utilised by the unit’s technical division to buy spy devices and equipment to assemble explosives.
Du Toit was a brigadier in the security branch and was widely known as Wal du Toit.
Motherwell Four
He was the head of the technical division of the security police and was in charge of manufacturing bombs and other explosive devices that were used to blow up activists.
Du Toit is a convicted murderer who appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for his complicity in killing 13 activists.
In June 1996, Du Toit was convicted of murder for blowing up four policemen – known as the Motherwell Four – with a car bomb in the Eastern Cape in December 1989.
The security police were concerned that the policemen were leaking information to the ANC, but didn’t have enough evidence to charge them.
Du Toit had to manufacture the car bomb. He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, but received amnesty.
Du Toit was also involved in the February 1991 murder of Johannesburg lawyer Bheki Mlangeni when he received a Walkman cassette player with a tape in the post.
The security police wanted to kill former Vlakplaas commander Dirk Coetzee, who was in exile with the ANC.
Du Toit and his men built explosives into the earphones of a Walkman and sent it to Coetzee. But it landed up with Mlangeni, who switched on the recorder and was instantly killed.
Equipment
Du Toit was also a mastermind behind the bombing of the ANC headquarters in London in 1982 and Khanya House, the Pretoria headquarters of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, in 1988.
A former security policeman told City Press the technical division provided the security police with phone-tapping and tracking equipment, listening devices and whatever gadgets they needed to fight their secret war against the ANC.
UTE was set up to enable the unit to purchase any equipment they needed.
Although Du Toit was suspended from the police in 1996, his resignation as a director of UTE was recorded only in April 2004.
That was also the date on which Lazarus and Mphego became directors.
Lazarus is accused of being instrumental in the looting of the secret fund and was suspended from the police with Mdluli until their controversial reinstatement last month.
also check out: http://blogs.news24.com/paulseso1/what-constitution