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TimesLIVE
12 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
DA welcomes arrest of crime intelligence head, other top cops
The DA has welcomed the arrest of head of crime intelligence Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo and three other top figures in the crime intelligence division. The DA said others who had been arrested were Brig Daniel Ncube, Brig Nozipho Madondo and a Maj-Gen Gabela. 'This is a welcomed step in rescuing an organisation on the brink of collapse. This points to yet another serious breach of trust within a critical state institution tasked with performing our nation's policing functions and mandate,' DA spokesperson on state security Dianne Kohler Barnard said. She said the DA will undertake a watching brief on the case. 'In February of this year, the DA wrote to the inspector-general of intelligence, Imtiaz Fazel, after it was uncovered that crime intelligence allegedly spent R22.8m on the purchase of a highly questionable commercial property in Berea, Durban, and R22.7m on a luxury boutique hotel in Pretoria North.' She said these purchases were allegedly authorised by crime intelligence CFO Maj-Gen Philani Lushaba and Khumalo. 'These properties were purchased and seem to be just a tip of the iceberg which, being revealed, threatens to sink crime intelligence once and for all,' she said. Barnard said just over 10 days ago, Maj-Gen Lushaba, the CFO of the crime intelligence division, handed himself over to police after it emerged that a sex worker had allegedly stolen his state-issued firearm and laptop. He subsequently lied about the matter which led to his eventual arrest. 'We expect more arrests to follow of very high-ranking and senior police officials. After years of Zuma-era state capture and corruption Crime Intelligence essentially became a cash cow for Zuma-aligned cronies. 'We call on minister Senzo Mchunu to ensure that the full might of the law prevails and that these arrests lead to the imprisonment of those found guilty of wrongdoing. 'The DA hoped that at last crime intelligence was rising out of the Richard Mdluli era, but sadly for South Africa, that is not the case,' she said.
IOL News
08-06-2025
- IOL News
Claims that top crime boss has vanished amidst property scandal probe
Police Ministry says it is not aware of the disappearance of Major-General Philani Lushaba, the Chief Financial Officer of Crime Intelligence unit, who allegedly vanished amid R45 million property scandal. Image: Supplied The SAPS and Police Ministry say they are not aware of the disappearance of Major-General Philani Lushaba, the chief financial officer of the SAPS Crime Intelligence unit, who allegedly vanished as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was preparing to question him about his involvement in financial misconduct linked to over a multi-million Rand property scandal. The unit allegedly spent more than R45 million on irregular property purchases without proper approvals, triggering an investigation by the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI). The DA said Lushaba failed to report for duty on Friday and was unreachable. The party said Lushaba's disappearance followed closely on the conclusion of an investigation by IGI into unlawful property acquisitions by the unit. However, both the Police Ministry's spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi, and SAPS spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, said they are not aware of Lushaba's disappearance. 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 Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Independent Media also reached out to Lushaba and he answered his phone but declined to comment. 'I think you should know where to direct inquiries in the SAPS,' he said. NPA spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, did not respond to a request for comment. On Sunday, DA member of Parliament, Dianne Kohler Barnard, said the party had asked about Lushaba's whereabouts and had heard nothing in response. At the centre of the scandal are two expensive acquisitions - a R22.7m Pretoria boutique hotel and a R22.8m Durban commercial property, allegedly approved by Lushaba and Crime Intelligence head Maj-Gen Dumisani Khumalo without Treasury or Public Works oversight. 'The scale of spending, the lack of transparency, and the irregular process raise serious questions about possible corruption and abuse of public funds,' said Barnard. Barnard said that the DA has submitted urgent parliamentary questions to the Minister of Police to determine the contents of the IGI's report and to establish whether further misconduct has been uncovered. Barnard said the party would also write to the chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to demand that the SAPS leadership, including Crime Intelligence's top officials, be summoned to account before Parliament. 'The IGI's report must now serve as a turning point. Without urgent action to remove corrupt elements from senior management, there can be no hope of restoring credibility to SAPS' intelligence function - or protecting South Africans from organised crime and criminal capture, said Barnard, adding that law enforcement must treat this matter with the urgency it deserves. Lushaba is not new to controversy. He lost his state firearm and laptop after he was allegedly robbed by a sex worker in 2022. Barnard said the SAPS Crime Intelligence division has a long, troubling record of corruption. 'For too long, this vital unit has been plagued by looting, political interference, and lawlessness." The division has also suffered from repeated leadership instability, internal leaks and operation failures. This was highlighted in a parliamentary committee in March 2025, where issues of persistent political interference and resource mismanagement were raised as weakening the division's ability to combat crime.
