It is clear that the minister of Police Bheki “Godfather” Cele has taken a decision not to renew the term of IPID director Robert McBride. His term expires on February 28 2019.
McBride had to go to court to force Cele to first approach the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police when McBride caught wind that Cele wants to get rid of him and that he plans not to renew his contract for a second term.
The Committee has the responsibility to appoint the IPID head, not the Minister.
But in the long ANC parliamentary tradition of being mere Luthuli House rubber stamps, this court intervention was little more than just another hurdle to jump over, and not even a high hurdle as the ANC has the majority in the committee and ready to be the obedient lapdogs that they always were.
It is important that people look at the larger implications, irrespective of what your personal feelings of McBride is. Let us leave that aside for now and look at some facts first.
What we see is a continuation by the ANC to perpetuate state capture, specifically with regards the SAPS and a clear plan to keep pliable, inept and deeply corrupt generals in charge who will be too willing to kowtow to the ANC.
McBride has been instrumental in giving IPID real teeth. He went after several captured and corrupt generals and it is as clear as daylight that Cele and the ANC wants to protect certain generals because the ANC itself is implicated in some of these investigations.
McBride took over a weak and toothless institution like IPD with little investigative capacity and made it a real threat to several ANC goons with badges wearing a general rank.
You only have to look at the plot by top SAPS management and Fikile Mbalula, then Police minister, to procure a cellphone grabber at an inflated price of R45 million shortly before the ANC’s Nasrec conference. The plan was to draw up fraudulent documents and use the money instead to buy votes for Nkosazana Zuma at the conference.
This vote buying exercise had a precedent at the ANC’s 2012 Mangaung conference when Crime Intelligence officers under the command of captain Morris “KGB” Tshabalala of Crime Intelligence disbursed R52 million in bribe money at the conference (money of course belonging to the taxpayer).
IPID and Robert McBride are also investigating the previous acting SAPS head Khomotso Phahlane with regards irregular and corrupt tenders in which he received bribes and vehicles.
IPID uncovered a corrupt relationship between Phalane and a company called Forensic Data Analysts belonging to Keith Keating. It also emerged later that FDA had been paid at least R5 billion by SAPS since 2010.
It also emerged that FDA virtually captured the State Information Agency (SITA) and was basically its sole supplier.
PID also investigated the notorious General Jan Ntebo Mabula, a captured ANC stooge instrumental in the illegal arrests of Gerrie Nel, General Johan Booysen and Paul O ‘Sullivan and his assistant Sarah-Jane Trent to thwart investigations into people like Jackie Selebi, Thoshan Panday and Phalane himself.
Mabula and his henchmen from the North West Hawks are also being investigated on charges of murder and Assault GBH with regards another case.
Cele was regularly briefed on all these cases since his appointment and it seems his preference is just to make all these difficult cases go away by getting rid of the man who uncovered the rot – Robert McBride. McBride was recently scheduled to testify before the Zondo Commission but his testimony was postponed by the Commission in order for them to notify the dozens of implicated ANC higher-ups and generals.
