Police minister Senzo Mchunu's chief of staff was allegedly visited by a camouflaged unit looking to confiscated electronic devices.
Public claims of police brutality and intimidation are revealing the deepening feud between those in control of South Africa’s domestic security.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff stated on Thursday that National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola had sent a balaclava-clad unit to his home to seize his devices.
Masemola is currently before parliament’s ad hoc committee on the corruption claims made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Alleged assault during search
Police Ministry chief of staff Cedrick Nkabinde held a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, where he relayed an incident at his home on Wednesday evening.
Nkabinde said a unit of between 15 and 20 heavily armed men wearing camouflage and balaclavas arrived at his home and demanded entry.
Nkabinde was not home, with the uninvited guests instead finding his brother, after which a case of mistaken identity allegedly ensued.
The unit allegedly entered the home without a warrant, where Nkabinde says his brother was assaulted and intimidated while the armed men searched the apartment.
“Until my brother had to produce his identity document to show that it was not him, [he] was not me, that is when they stopped assaulting him. It means they were assaulting me in a nutshell,” stated Nkabinde.
Nkabinde dodges search
The unit was allegedly travelling in three vehicles — a BMW, a Ford SUV and a combi — in which they bundled Nkabinde’s brother into, demanding he take them to his brother.
They located the chief of staff at a nearby estate, but were denied access, before returning Nkabinde’s brother to the earlier location.
The ordeal was relayed to Nkabinde by his brother the following day, when he was told the officers had revealed who had ordered the raid.
“They said, ‘We are here, we are being sent by the national commissioner, General Masemola, to come and look for the chief of staff’, ” stated Nkabinde.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe was contacted by The Citizen for comment on Friday morning, but none had been forthcoming at the time of publication.
Searches possibly compromising
Nkabinde stated that after consulting with his lawyers, they approached the legal team at the ad hoc committee, who confirmed Masemola’s instructions.
The chief of staff stated that the ad hoc committee’s chief evidence leader confirmed to Nkabinde’s lawyers that Masemola had sent the unit to execute a search and seizure warrant for mobile phones and laptops that may contain evidence.
Nkabinde alleged the unit went to Minister Mchunu’s residence too, but were unable to gain access — stressing such searches would prejudice their upcoming appearances at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
“General Masemola, General Mkhwanazi, they are busy there in the ad hoc committee. At the same time, they are sending police to come and harass us so that they can remove our gadgets with our evidence while we are also preparing to appear in that commission,” said Nkabinde.
Irate, Nkabinde on Thursday questioned why Mkhwanazi made the allegations he did if they were still searching for evidence.
“Now, from 6 July until today, after so many months, they still had to get search warrants and get our mobile phones.
“They still do their witch hunt, fishing, it means it was not correct that they do have evidence,”
“I am telling the public that if anything happens to me, General Masemola is the one who sent these police to us; he will be responsible,” Nkabinde concluded.
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