JOVIAL RANTAO
THE South African Police Service (SAPS) is poised to take action against two more top police generals for their role in the failure by the force to act and save the life of a top cop who was killed execution style by suspected gang members.
The leadership of the SAPS has been forced to act after it became aware that some of its top officers failed to act after information was received about a threat to the life of Lieutenant Charl Kinnear, who was killed on September 18.
An investigation by The African Mirror has uncovered that a high-level internal SAPS probe has recommended that Major-General Andre Lincoln, head of the Anti-Gang Unit and Major-General Mzwandile Tiyo, the provincial head of SAPS crime intelligence, should be suspended and face internal charges.
Action against them will bring to three, the number of SAPS general facing internal disciplinary steps in connection with the murder of Kinnear. The first is Lieutenant-General Peter Jacobs who was found to have failed to act on information about the death threat.
Our probe has uncovered recommendations that Lincoln should be charged for failing to provide protection to Kinnear. The internal investigators charge that Lincoln, among others, failed to inform Tiyo, the provincial head of crime intelligence, about the imminent threat to Kinnear and also failed to use resources at his disposal to deal with the threat.
Tiyo also faces disciplinary steps for failing to fulfill his responsibility as head of crime intelligence in the Western Cape, in particular for his failure to act when the then provincial commissioner ordered that guy a threat assessment be conducted after threats were received on the lives of Kinnear, Lincoln and Captain Jeptha.
Jacobs is currently on sick leave.
The African Mirror has exclusively revealed that:
- The Hawks informed Jacobs about the threat Kinnear’s life as soon as they were aware of it.
- Jacobs failed to act, on an urgent basis, and neglected to operationalize intelligence that could have saved Kinnear’s life.
- Two days before Kinnear was killed, Jacobs received information that Kinnear’s phone, along with those of two other police officers, were being illegally monitored but Jacobs said he was too ill to direct resources towards protecting Kinnear and opted to shelve the matter for a week.
- Jacob was interviewed by internal SAPS investigators about the circumstances leading to the murder of Kinnear and refused to provide a sworn statement .
- During the interview, Jacobs said threats to Kinnear’s life were related to “matters” that had been raised with top SAPS management. He blamed the lack of response to the “matters” that he raised, which The African Mirror will reveal later, for the death of Kinnear.
- Several officers have deposed sworn statements implicating Jacobs for failure to act.
The African Mirror’s probe has discovered the threats on Kinnear’s life went as far back as November, 2019. At that point there was information on a threat to the lives of Kinnear, Major General Jeremy Veary and Major General Andre Lincoln.
Soon after the threat was discovered and processed by the SAPS leadership, there was an attempted grenade attack on Kinnear’s house. At that time, Lieutenant-General Sindile Mfazi, ordered an upgrade of the protection of the officers whose lives were threatened. A security assessment was also ordered.
Brigadier Vish Naidoo, a spokesperson for National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole said: “Matters of suspension of members of the SAPS, should they happen, are internal and therefore cannot be discussed in the public domain. Therefore, I am not at liberty to either confirm or deny any your questions around the members mentioned.”
