Didiza says Parliament considering Mkhwanazi's allegations
Didiza said the allegations presented by Mkhwanazi at the weekend, regarding security matters that she says have "implications for the country's national security", are being considered for debate by the National Assembly.
She said the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, has also sought guidance on how to address the matter going forward.
ALSO READ:
- Mkhwanazi names man with alleged links to Mchunu as central to meddling in police cases
- Mkhwanazi raises concerns about classified police files being compromised by outsiders
- Mkhwanazi alleges political involvement in cases being investigated by the police
"The Speaker has since received two letters from political parties requesting a snap debate on the issues raised by General Mkhwanazi, in accordance with the Rules of the National Assembly," said Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo.
Didiza said she welcomes the president's undertaking to engage with the matter.
"We welcome the statement by the President indicating that he will address this matter upon his return from the BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro."
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If what Mkhwanazi recently alleged is true — that a drug cartel with ties to South America is headquartered in Gauteng – it hints at other dangers. Cartels carry out other crimes, including murders, to maintain control of their drug routes. Daily Maverick has previously reported that one of Brazil's – and the world's – most powerful criminal gangs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), or First Capital Command, was among the organised crime syndicates using the Port of Santos for drug smuggling. Accused PCC boss Gilberto Aparecido dos Santos, also known as Fuminho, has been in South Africa. Some police sources suspected that Dos Santos and the PCC operated here. Serbian traffickers are suspected of having partnered with Brazilian crooks. Several people from Serbia have been murdered in South Africa, especially in Gauteng, in killings with suspected drug trade links. (For example, George Mihaljevic was murdered in Bedfordview, Gauteng, in 2018 and seemed to know figures tainted by suspicions linked to cocaine.) There was also evidence suggesting a 'supercartel' headquartered in Dubai was operating via South Africa. Daily Maverick has previously revealed that Edin 'Tito' Gacanin, allegedly linked to the 'supercartel' that consists of international gangs that have joined forces, was involved in a cocaine consignment involving Durban. Gacanin, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has a Netherlands passport. The United States has accused him of being one of the world's most prolific narcotraffickers. Other incidents linked to the cocaine trade hint at international criminals with links to local operators, crooked police officers possibly included. Interceptions and burglary These may tie in with the R200-million cocaine interception of four years ago in Gauteng, which led to the arrests of police officers in a case subsequently withdrawn. (The case, however, may develop further if charges are reinstated.) That incident happened on 9 July 2021, coincidentally when riots broke out after former president Jacob Zuma was briefly jailed. There were other curious drug incidents that year. Weeks later, on 30 July 2021, half a billion rands worth of cocaine, in brick form and in a container ostensibly holding truck parts, was discovered at the Durban harbour. This had suspected links to the 9 July cocaine interception. #sapsKZN #SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal have recovered pure cocaine worth an estimated value of over R80 million which were concealed inside a container at the Durban Harbour. #DrugsOffTheStreets ME — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 2, 2024 Months later, over a weekend in November 2021, the Hawks offices in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, were burgled. Cocaine valued at R200-million was stolen. A Hawks statement said: 'The suspects gained entry into the building by forcing open the windows. One of the safes in the office, which were used to store exhibits, was tampered with.' It was widely suspected that police officers had been involved in this incident. As this journalist's book, Clash of the Cartels: Unmasking the global drug kingpins stalking South Africa, explained: 'Further suspicions were along the lines that the theft was an inside job, and cops had been bribed by suspects linked to powerful international cartels from Brazil, Serbia or both, to ensure the cocaine was retrieved. 'If all this were true, it meant that police officers were involved in smuggling R200-million in cocaine from Brazil into SA, fellow police officers had stopped them in their tracks, and corrupt cops then retaliated by stealing the cocaine back from their clean colleagues. 'A cocaine-laden cycle of collusion.' DM
