Western Cape police corruption report: Delays and redactions raise serious questions
After three years of delays, Premier Alan Winde has finally tabled the redacted Western Cape Police Ombudsman report.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
The tabling of the redacted Western Cape Police Ombudsman (WCPO) report by Premier Alan Winde, with its findings sealed away from public scrutiny, has ignited accusations of deliberate suppression by the premier's administration.
For three years, the Ombudsman report gathered dust, but this week, the redacted document finally emerged — its release suspiciously timed alongside damaging evidence surfacing at the ongoing Madlanga Commission.
The report was tabled after mounting pressure from the public and civil society.
The Ombudsman's independent investigation was triggered by a scathing 2022 ruling from Western Cape High Court Judge Daniel Thulare.
In his judgment, Judge Thulare condemned the alleged corruption within SAPS, suggesting links to organised crime.
Specifically, he stated that evidence suggested the SAPS senior management in the province had been so “penetrated” that the “28 gang has access to the table where the Provincial Commissioner... sits with his senior managers”.
However, UCT criminologist Dr Simon Howell found the redacted Ombudsman report to be largely inconsequential, saying it “doesn’t really say much”.
“It seems to me a report about reporting rather than actual evidence or lack thereof of the topic in question,” said Dr Howell.
He added that the delay in tabling the Ombudsman report could be a “result of the politicisation of policing and the potential for any bad press rather than direct implication of individuals”.
“Policing is a very political topic and politicians tend not to want to take risks if they don’t have to,” said Dr Howell.
Meanwhile, the provincial SAPS have, in a statement, reaffirmed that Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile cooperated with the Ombudsman and they remain committed to “the fight against organised crime, gangsterism and corruption, and are committed to accountability, transparency and professional policing”.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Andrè Traut, said with renewed public attention, the SAPS re-commits to working with all oversight and investigative bodies.
In the statement, Traut said: “(Western Cape SAPS) would ensure that any possible wrongdoing is examined, accountability is upheld, and the integrity of policing in the Western Cape is protected.”
Traut said Patekile extended his full and unconditional cooperation to the Ombudsman’s office throughout the investigation.
“The public’s trust in law enforcement is central to a safe and just society. SAPS in the Western Cape remains resolute in the fight against organised crime, gangsterism and corruption, and is committed to accountability, transparency and professional policing.
“We shall continue to engage with the Provincial Government, the WCPO, IPID, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and other relevant bodies to ensure that where evidence of misconduct is found, appropriate action follows,” said Traut.
In tabling the report, Premier Winde denied media reports of government reluctance to investigate the matter.
“...We have done everything within our power to act in good faith, to support the relevant investigative processes, and to drive efforts to uncover the truth of this matter.
“But now, given the fact that important deadlines have passed without any update from IPID, and given the fact that the SAPS does not seem to have acted with the urgency this matter desperately requires. The delays we have faced in this process have become unacceptable and can no longer be tolerated. We are now publicly demanding action and answers from IPID and the SAPS,” said Winde.