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IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya reflects on his legacy in the SAPS
Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya on Saturday delivered his last media briefing before retiring from the SAPS. Image: Ntswe Mokoena/GCIS Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya spoke fondly of his trials and tribulations, including being the best student of the course in June 1985 during his last media briefing before retiring from the SAPS on 1 June 2025. The SAPS- Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI-Hawks) held a legacy report briefing for the outgoing National Head in Pretoria on Saturday. Lebeya reflected on his tenure at the helm of the DPCI from 2018 to 2025 and offered insights into the milestones, challenges, and achievements during his leadership. In his parting shot, Lebeya recommended that part of the improvement plan for the SAPS should include: Work on capacitation of the DPCI to achieve 100% human resource capacity. Lebeya requested authority's to provide financial resources to achieve this. Work on the implementation of the remaining provisions of the SAPS Act. Work on the acquisition of the office accommodation for the personnel. Continue to work on acquisition of modern tools of trade. Continue to build the DPCI to be a criminal Investigative elite unit of South Africa. Lebeya began working in the SAPS at the Sophiatown Police Station on 12 May 1984 and said he aspired to be a mechanical engineer, but his application to the SAPS Benoni Mechanical School was unsuccessful. Over the years he worked at Hillbrow SAPS in Crime Prevention and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the house-breaking and theft unit. He was later transferred to investigate more serious cases such as murders, robberies, bribery, forgery, uttering and fraud. Lebeya went on to establish the Johannesburg North Fraud Section which was based at Sandton police station. In January 2000, he was appointed the Provincial Head of Specialised Investigations in Gauteng Province and by November 2000, he was appointed the Provincial Head of Detective Service in Gauteng on the rank of Assistant Commissioner, the current Major General rank. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ In his academic pursuit, Lebeya completed a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and by 2006 was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. Lebeya also pursued a Doctorate degree which was conferred in the field of Law, Doctor of Laws (LLD) in 2012 on the topic of 'Understanding Organised Crime'. One of his crowning moments came in June 2018, when he was appointed as the National Head of the DPCI. 'Part of the style of investigation is to conduct major investigations. In Project-Driven Investigations, we initiated 113 complex projects and successfully concluded 67 which is 75% while others are still pending and others unsuccessful. A total number of 566 arrests were effected,' he said . Lebeya said he worked on enhancing technological systems and believed that the Digital Forensic Unit is growing with public private partnerships. 'We have established the Forensic Accounting Investigation which has also partnered with business to ensure transferal of skills. Our coordination of work has been enhanced with the operationalisation of the National Priority Crime Investigations and its sub-committees,' Lebeya said.
IOL News
17-05-2025
- IOL News
Pietermaritzburg battles drug crisis amid forensic lab backlog
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI- Hawks) have been called in by local police to help them rid the city of Pietermaritzburg of drugs. Image: File KwaZulu-Natal's capital city Pietermaritzburg was infested with drugs fuelled by the inadequate prosecutions in courts and a backlog in the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Pietermaritzburg SAPS acting station commander, Thulani Masikane, made the remarks at the Msunduzi Municipality's draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Budget for the 2025/26 financial year consultations held at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on Saturday. Msunduzi Municipality Mayor Councillor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla, called for residents, businesses and all stakeholders to submit inputs and have their say on service delivery, development programmes and projects in the municipality. Several residents in the meeting spoke about the drug issue in the city and communities and that nothing was done to address the issue. In March 2025, Ian Cameron, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, visited the lab in Amanzimtoti which was affected by six flooding issues since 2016. According to Cameron the SAPS was paying an exorbitant amount of rental on a monthly basis on a building they cannot fully utilise. Cameron said it was concerning that there has been no resolution to the problem, which has a direct impact on the staggering 140,000 DNA case backlog in the country. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Masikane said in the past financial year 2024/25, 1563 cases of contact crime were reported - a decrease of 29 from the previous year. He said 48 people were murdered and property crime decreased from 300 to 252 while the theft of motor vehicles decreased from 91 to 61. He said this showed there was a trajectory that reported crime was decreasing in the CBD. There was 60 attempted murders reported. Police arrested 984 people for drugs, and 35 firearms were recovered in the town. Masikane said street robberies were still a challenge. He said in the SAPS analysis of crime, drug abuse was identified as the main generator in the CBD. Masikane said they have plans in place including three projects with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) to identify the suppliers. He said operations began at the beginning of the year and could take months for an impact to be made. 'The town is infested with drugs. We will continue arresting the end users while intelligence is gathered on the main suppliers who we intend going after. We want to break the backbone of this scourge,' Masikane said. 'There are challenges we face as an organisation. We arrest people daily for drugs but our cases are not enrolled in court pending the analysis report on the drug. Prosecutors are saying the analysis of the drug has not been done. This is a serious challenge that is in the public domain. The same person we arrested is back on the streets within 12 hours. We will not allow ourselves to be discouraged. We had a meeting in Durban with the Provincial Commissioner where we raised our concern about this," Masikane said. Masikane requested that Thebolla drive the issue of a drug master plan with the Department of Social Development. Masikane said unless all departments stop working in silos and join hands, the MM will not win the war on crime and drugs. He also called for a drug rehabilitation center.
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- The Citizen
Nowhere to hide for high-profile criminals
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) has made significant inroads in apprehending individuals involved in high-profile cases, ensuring accountability and justice for victims. This is according to DPCI head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, who briefed media on Thursday on the successes and progress made with regard to high-profile cases in the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year. He said the DPCI remains committed to its mandate of investigating, preventing and combating national priority offences without fear, favour or prejudice. A total of 656 suspects appeared before the various courts in the country during the fourth quarter. Of these arrests, 450 (74%) are South African, whereas 157 (26%) are foreign nationals. 'Of the 656 suspects, the Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) secured 364, the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) secured 220, while the Serious Corruption Investigation (SCI) secured 72 suspects before court,' Lebeya said. He said most of the arrests were effected in Gauteng with 139, North West with 99, KZN with 88, and the Eastern Cape and Free State with 73 suspects each. 'During these arrests, 395 firearms and 1 746 rounds of ammunition were seized. Seven clandestine drug laboratories were dismantled with drugs worth a total street value of R23 361 125. 'During this same period, the directorate secured convictions for 239 accused persons. A total of 266 (253 natural and 13 juristic) accused persons, including those convicted in the previous quarters, were sentenced during the quarter under review. 'Of the 253 sentenced natural persons, 139 (55%) are South Africans, while 114 (45%) are foreign nationals. Most of these convictions and sentences were secured in Gauteng,' Lebeya said. He says of these convictions, SOCI secured 157, SCCI secured 73 and SCI secured nine. 'To ensure that crime does not pay, the Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) has contributed towards the issuing of a combined 102 freezing and forfeiture orders amounting to R418 938 340.14. 'Of these orders, 56 were preservation orders with a monetary value of R370 952 439.49, with 45 forfeiture orders with a monetary value of R14 985 900.65 and one restraint order with a monetary value of R33 000 000,' he said. Lebeya said an amount of R19 104 419.50 has been deposited into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account. The Digital Forensic Investigation Section of the PCSI component of the DPCI finalised the extraction and analysis of data evidence from 324 electronic devices within 90 days during the quarter. Attacks on police Touching on police murders by criminals, Lebeya said an attack on police officials was an assault on society and an attack on the state. 'We categorised the killing of police officials as that national priority offence that requires the attention of the DPCI,' Lebeya said. During this period, 22 police officials were murdered, of which 16 were off duty while six were on duty. He said 50% of these murders happened in Gauteng. With regards to cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies, Lebeya said during the fourth quarter, 50 incidents of CIT robberies were received by the directorate. 'A total number of 28 suspects, excluding 10 who died in exchange of gunfire with the police, were arrested. It is comforting that no one was released on bail. 'Over and above this, 36 suspects were arrested in CIT-related cases, making a combined number of 64 arrests for CIT and related crime,' Lebeya said. – Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- The Citizen
Gauteng residents and police officials keep Hawks busy
Most of the arrests and convictions were secured in the City of Gold. Gauteng kept the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, on its toes due to criminal activities during the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year. Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya provided an update on Thursday on some of the cases that have kept the unit busy during this period. Arrests and convictions According to the Hawks head, 656 suspects – 607 natural persons and 49 juristic persons – appeared before the various courts in the country. Of these arrests, 450 (74%) were South Africans, while 127 (26%) were foreign nationals. ALSO READ: Lawyer, plumber and then security professional: Inside the elaborate cons of scammers nabbed by the Hawks Of the 656 suspects, the serious organised crime investigation secured 364, the serious commercial crime investigation secured 220, while the serious corruption investigation secured 72 suspects before the courts. Gauteng leads The majority of the arrests happened in Gauteng -139, North West – 99, KwaZulu-Natal – 88, Eastern Cape, and Free State – 73 each. During these arrests, 395 firearms and 1746 rounds of ammunition were seized. Seven clandestine drug laboratories were dismantled with drugs worth R23.6 million. During the same period, the Hawks secured 239 convictions. Of these, 253 accused were natural persons and 13 juristic persons. Of the 253 sentenced natural persons, 139 (55%) were South Africans, while 114 (45%) were foreigners. Most of these convictions and sentences happened in Gauteng. Of these convictions, the serious organised crimes investigation secured 157, the serious commercial crimes investigation secured 73, while the serious corruption investigation secured 9. ALSO READ: Hawks arrest three in R2m fraud scandal at University of Fort Hare 'To ensure that crime does not pay, the Priority Crimes Specialised Investigation (PCSI) has contributed towards the use of a combined 102 freezing and forfeiture orders amounting to R418 million 938 340. Of these orders, 56 were preservation orders, with a monetary value of R370 952 439,' said the Hawks head. 'With 45 forfeiture orders with a monetary value of R14 985 000, one restraint order with a monetary value of R33 million. An amount of R19 104 419 has been deposited into the criminal assets recovery account. This performance makes the total recorded successes of arrests, convictions and attachment of assets 1 024.' Hawks on police killings The Hawks once again bemoaned the killings of police officers. Some lost their lives in the line of duty, while others were off duty. During this period, 22 police officials were murdered – 16 were off-duty, while six were on duty. According to the Hawks head, 50% of these murders happened in Gauteng. ALSO READ: Hawks arrest two women for editing matric certificates Officials managed to secure 38 arrests and 14 convictions, with 11 life sentences plus 487 years in prison secured. Two Metro police officers were killed during this period. However, the police force is also bleeding officials to crime, with 33 police officials arrested during this period. According to the Hawks' head, 19 of these officials were traffic officials, while 14 were Saps officials. 'They were arrested for cases ranging from fraud, corruption, murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and defeating the ends of justice,' said Lebeya. Most of these officers were arrested in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State. Six police officials were convicted and sentenced for defeating the ends of justice, conspiracy to commit robbery, fraud, and corruption. READ NEXT: Crackdown on coltan scam continues as Hawks arrest two more suspects
Russia Today
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
South Africa investigates ‘treason' claims against Afrikaner groups
South African police have launched an investigation into 'high treason' claims against Afrikaner minority lobby groups AfriForum and Solidarity, which are accused of spreading false information to the US government about a recently passed land ownership law. Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) chief Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya told local media on Tuesday that authorities are examining four separate dockets targeting specific entities but declined to name them. Earlier, the DPCI chief said in an interview with state broadcaster SABC that the cases 'concern individuals that may have crossed the border to go and communicate some of the things that are perceived to be in the direction of high treason.' 'High treason consists of the unlawful engagement in any conduct within or outside the borders of… South Africa by a person owing allegiance to the republic, with the intention to overthrow the government… violate, threaten, or endanger the existence, independence, or security of the republic,' Lebeya said in another interview with Newzroom Afrika. He added that the National Prosecuting Authority will determine whether any of the complaints contain elements of treason. Political parties, including former South African leader Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), filed complaints against AfriForum and Solidarity after US President Donald Trump cut aid to Pretoria, accusing it of disregarding the rights of a 'certain class' of citizens. Trump accused the African country's government of confiscating agricultural properties belonging to the Afrikaners – white South Africans – without compensation under the newly adopted expropriation law. Pretoria has insisted that the law is intended to address racial disparities in land ownership in a country where white farmers still own the majority of land decades after Apartheid ended in 1994. AfriForum has lobbied against the legislation in the US and through media campaigns, claiming it violates property rights. Last week, AfriForum and Solidarity leaders met with US officials at the White House and urged Washington to impose sanctions on the African National Congress (ANC) rather than punishing 'ordinary South Africans' with the suspension of financial assistance. The two non-profit civil rights organizations have accused the ANC, headed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, of irresponsible policies and statements that encourage discrimination and genocide against Afrikaners and other minorities. Afrikaners are descendants of European colonists, mostly from the Netherlands, who arrived in what would become modern South Africa in the 17th century.
