Crime Intelligence division rocked by another scandal as its boss is arrested

Daily Maverick

2 days ago

South Africa's controversial Crime Intelligence unit is facing a fresh scandal. Its head, Dumisani Khumalo, has been arrested. While still a developing matter, the arrest has echoes of what happened to a former head of the division, Richard Mdluli, who is now a convict.
Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, the head of the beleaguered Crime Intelligence (CI) division that he was meant to 'rejuvenate', has become the latest SA police officer to be arrested.
Khumalo was taken into custody on Thursday.
Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) spokesperson Henry Mamothame confirmed this, saying: 'Yes, he has been arrested, but we cannot provide details until he and others appear in court.'
[WATCH] National Police Commissioner Gen. Fannie Masemola confirms the arrest of crime intelligence boss Maj-Gen. Dumisani Khumalo. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/bTePMkeUPI
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 26, 2025
It was not immediately clear in which court, and when, Khumalo would appear.
While News24 reported that Khumalo was arrested in Gauteng, allegedly over unlawful senior appointments, several other controversial issues have cropped up before in relation to his name.
More controversy, more accusations
Khumalo's arrest is yet another clear indication that SA's critical Crime Intelligence arena remains in trouble — controversy, infighting and accusations of criminality have dogged it for years.
This is especially concerning given its role.
The South African Police Service's (SAPS) 2025/2026 annual performance plan describes this as being to: 'Manage crime intelligence and analyse crime information and provide technical support for investigations and crime prevention operations.'
A Crime Intelligence division rocked by arrests and accusations weakens law enforcement.
About two weeks ago, Crime Intelligence's chief financial officer, Major General Philani Lushaba, handed himself over to Idac.
Lushaba and three other police officers face charges of corruption, perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
News24 reported: 'The case is linked to an alleged cover-up of the theft of Lushaba's cellphone, police laptop and police-issued firearm in 2022.
'News24 understands Lushaba made misleading statements to the police initially, claiming his house was burgled. It later emerged [that] a sex worker took the items after a party at Lushaba's home.'
Other suspicions hover above the Crime Intelligence arena.
Luxury hotel and 'lacking transparency'
On 6 June, the DA issued a statement referencing Lushaba and Khumalo and an Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) probe.
The statement said: 'The IGI has now completed this investigation, which centres on the purchase of a luxury boutique hotel in Pretoria North for R22.7-million, and a commercial property in Berea, Durban for R22.8-million — both funded by Crime Intelligence, allegedly without the required approvals.
'These purchases were reportedly authorised by Lushaba and Crime Intelligence head, Major General Dumisani Khumalo, without consulting the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.
'The scale of spending, the lack of transparency, and the irregular process raise serious questions about possible corruption and abuse of public funds.'
Earlier this year, Khumalo's name also cropped up in a policing scandal involving cocaine.
Daily Maverick reported that Major General Feroz Khan, the head of counterintelligence and security at Crime Intelligence, had been cleared in that saga, which was tied to a 2021 cocaine interception in Johannesburg.
Khan had said that Khumalo used the drug interception to try to get rid of him because of his investigations, with possible links to Khumalo, into the abuse of secret service funds.
Police bosses, via court processes, denied that Khan was being dubiously targeted.
Corruption and Crime Intelligence
Khumalo became the head of Crime Intelligence in December 2022.
Up until then, the division had been without a permanent boss for about two years.
When National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola announced Khumalo's appointment, he said there was a perception that 'the whole of Crime Intelligence is corrupt'.
Masemola countered that this was inaccurate because there were decent officers in the unit.
He added that Khumalo, in his role as Crime Intelligence boss, would be supported, and that he was 'looking forward for [Khumalo] to rejuvenate that environment'.
Based on the recent arrests and the accusations made about Crime Intelligence earlier this year, this does not seem to have happened.
The division, meanwhile, has a much deeper history of scandal.
Zuma's legacy
Former president Jacob Zuma was inaugurated in 2009. Two months later, Richard Mdluli was appointed as head of Crime Intelligence.
That did not go well.
In 2011 he was arrested and faced 18 charges, including murder, kidnapping, intimidation and defeating the ends of justice relating to a 1999 killing.
In 2019, Mdluli was convicted of kidnapping and assault.
Mdluli is facing further charges linked to fraud and corruption, related to the looting of the secret service account.
Last month, the National Prosecuting Authority issued a statement saying Mdluli and his co-accused had pleaded not guilty and included a brief description of the case.
It said: 'Mdluli, together with the former … SAPS … Supply Chain Manager Heine Barnard and Chief Financial Officer Solomon Lazarus are facing charges of corruption, fraud and theft relating to the police's secret slush fund from the time they were employed by the … SAPS … in the Crime Intelligence Unit, between 2008 and 2012.'
Suspended, transferred, 'targeted'
There have been several other Crime Intelligence controversies.
One of them involved Lieutenant General Peter Jacobs, who in 2018 was appointed as national Crime Intelligence head.
Two years later Jacobs was suspended, along with a few other Crime Intelligence officers, over allegations of personal protective equipment procurement irregularities involving the secret service account and reportedly totalling nearly R1-million.
In 2021 Jacobs' suspension was lifted, but instead of being allowed to return to work as national Crime Intelligence head, he was told to return as Inspectorate head.
This was widely viewed as Jacobs being sidelined.
In an affidavit at the time, Jacobs said he felt he was being targeted because of protected disclosures he had made relating to corruption within the police service, including 'wide-scale' corruption in Crime Intelligence involving millions of rands.
The transfer of Jacobs from the post of national Crime Intelligence head in 2021 paved the way for Khumalo to fill the position.
Khumalo's arrest adds to the Crime Intelligence controversies.
It also leaves questions about the leadership of the division meant to be actively preventing crime and cracking down on criminals. DM