Crime Intelligence Director Dumisani Khumalo said on Thursday that when he was appointed to the department in 2022, he felt the department was still characterized by criminal intelligence methods and misuse of resources.
Mr Khumalo said there had been complaints that the SAPS operational environment did not provide the expected service.
“These also relate to the results of the Lott Commission and inquiry that was established to focus on a number of issues (including criminal intelligence issues),” he said.
Mr Khumalo made the remarks while giving evidence ahead of a parliamentary inquiry into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at a press conference in July 2025.
The investigation is investigating the alleged illegal dissolution of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), the suspension of the filling of vacancies in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, alleged corrupt relations between SAPS senior leadership and the general public, and alleged political interference in police operations.
Mr Khumalo also said in his evidence that he had found a legal policy and environment that was outdated and non-existent.
“The environment was functioning in free mode. It was as if a criminal intelligence agency was serving its own purpose.”
He also said there had been misuse of state-owned vehicles by senior management of the department, including senior management of SAPS.
“These vehicles were illegally allocated to senior citizens, which amounts to fraud and corruption,” said the head of the criminal intelligence unit.
Khumalo said there were also problems with physical, human and financial management measures.
“It was free for everyone,” he said, adding that there were problems with the appointment of relatives and friends of managers.
Khumalo, who is also PKTT’s project leader, told the inquiry that he made decisions that lowered his profile and lacked support at senior management levels, resulting in misinformation about the reforms he introduced.
“There were significant legal reforms that needed to be implemented, including compliance with the Act on Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communications-Related Information,” he said.
“There was a lot of interception activity taking place outside the legal framework. We needed to prioritize it in order to obtain an exemption certificate that would allow us to purchase, store and use the listed equipment.”
“Another priority was to exempt the Treasury from withdrawing from the procurement process for covert operations supported through Secret Service accounts.”
Khumalo said when he took over the department, he also needed to identify and recruit qualified staff through transfers and promotions to implement the legal framework that had been passed.
Vehicles were also removed from senior management and redistributed for practical purposes at operational level.
“As soon as that order was issued under my signature, vehicles had to be recalled, inspected and redistribution started.”
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