McBride tells Zondo commission of ‘police patronage network’
The former head of police watchdog Ipid Robert McBride has told the commission of inquiry into state capture that the South African Police Service operates on a system of patronage.
McBride concluded his testimony on Tuesday.
He claimed that senior police officials would promote their juniors based on favours done for them.
"SAPS runs on a patronage system. If I do favours for my senior I get promoted. Some senior officials have the power, practice, and custom to offer out jobs as patronage and that is how the police system works. People are being promoted and appointed to carry out tasks on behalf of seniors and that is how it’s been running."
McBride said this led to corruption and maladministration as there was a reward for protecting seniors.
He used the example of charges being laid at Ipid against former acting police commissioner Kgomotso Pahlane, and an alleged counter-investigation ran by a police investigator from North West, Major-General Ntebo Mabula.
McBride told the commission that this team interfered with the Ipid investigation into Pahlane.
"At a later stage, the Mabula team visited each one of the witnesses in that case and got them to change their statements. All those who made statements implicating General Pahlane in a corrupt relationship with a service provider. These are people who had initially indicated that they had seen bags of money handed over to the service provider in cash."
Mabula was subsequently promoted to deputy commissioner in North West.
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McBride said a court judgment referred to some of these counter investigations by the police into Ipid as“revenge investigations”.
He added that under the former prosecutions boss Shaun Abrahams, numerous cases handed over by the police watchdog, containing concrete evidence, were never prosecuted.
McBride said he and his team knew that the situation would change once Abrahams was removed as head of the National Prosecuting Authority.
He wrapped up his testimony on Tuesday but is expected to return to the commission at a later stage.
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