Mediamec In a striking development that has further shaken public confidence in law enforcement, South Africa’s Crime Intelligence boss has acknowledged that members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) might already know who was responsible for several high-profile assassinations including the murders of well-known figures such as DJ Warras, Babita Deokaran, and a key Madlanga Commission witness known as Witness D.
The admission came during testimony before a Parliamentary ad hoc committee set up to investigate alleged failures and misconduct within the police service. Under intense questioning, Crime Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo responded affirmatively when asked whether officers could have had knowledge of those responsible for the killings. His answer sent shockwaves through the committee and beyond.
Khumalo pointed to past cases especially in KwaZulu-Natal where on-duty police officers were allegedly recruited to carry out politically linked hits. He used these historical examples to explain why it was not unreasonable to consider that individuals within SAPS might have had internal intelligence about the murders under scrutiny.
The committee’s chairperson pressed further, probing whether officers may have known more than they disclosed about specific killings, including the deaths of Deokaran, a whistle-blower in Gauteng’s health department who was killed outside her home; DJ Warras, a public figure shot dead in central Johannesburg late last year; and Witness D, who was gunned down after providing confidential testimony to the Madlanga Commission.
In his testimony, Khumalo also sounded alarm bells about criminal syndicates’ deep infiltration into SAPS structures, suggesting that some specialised police units had been compromised and were operating on behalf of organised crime groups outside official duties. He explained that during covert operations, cartel members sometimes seemed to be tipped off in advance, indicating potential leaks from within law enforcement ranks.
Khumalo later sought to clarify remarks he had made about widespread compromise within SAPS, noting that his intention was not to imply that all officers were involved in wrongdoing, but that repeated instances of sabotage and criminal links at various levels had damaged the service’s integrity.
The testimony, which spanned two days, will continue in the coming week as Parliament continues its probe into systemic challenges, accountability, and the troubling possibility that those entrusted with upholding the law understand more about these notorious murders than they have publicly acknowledged.
