South African Police's Top Brass Nabbed for Fraud, Corruption

Six officers, including high-ranking former and current South African Police Service (SAPS) members, have been arrested in connection with a U.S.$3 million police tender awarded in 2016. Among those taken into custody was former national commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane who in May 2022 sought to have a U.S.$10.8 million "blue light" fraud and theft case dismissed.

Also arrested were Durban businessmen Inbanathan Kistiah - whose company, I-View was a key focus of several Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigations - as well as Avendra Naidoo, director of a company which colluded with Kistiah.

The arrests relate to a procurement by SAPS Crime Intelligence (CI) from I-View which took place between December 20, 2016 and March 2017. In this instance, CI had supposedly spent U.S.$1.8 million to I-View for software aimed at monitoring #FeesMustFall social media platforms. The #FeesMustFall protests were sparked by university students who could not afford their tuition and registration fees.

The arrests come amid additional cases of recent corruption noted among SAPS members. Police Minister Bheki Cele said during a media briefing that a total of 24 police officers have been arrested in the country's Western Cape region for breaking the law in the past six months.