Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has finally released the long-awaited Western Cape Police Ombudsman report into alleged gang infiltration within SAPS. This comes after sustained pressure from civil society and the public, following Winde’s initial refusal to make the three-year-old report public.
The controversy stems from a 2022 ruling by Western Cape High Court Judge Daniel Thulare, who suggested that members of the 28s gang may have wielded influence over senior policing structures in the province.
In his ruling, Thulare stated:
“Evidence suggests that senior management of the SAPS in the province has been penetrated to the extent that the 28 gang has access to the table where the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in the Western Cape sits with his senior managers, influencing their approach to crime management.”
Speaking to VOC News, former Western Cape head of detectives Jeremy Vearey weighed in on the findings.
“Well, the report didn’t conclude anything. One of the disturbing things is that the investigation, on page nine, states clearly they could not access any of the evidence the judge relied on to reach his conclusions. They looked at other documentation and approached SAPS, but SAPS had already referred the matter to the State Attorney.
“So all in all, they could discover absolutely nothing that would prove what was alleged by the judge. I would have hoped the investigation would at least create grounds for a commission of inquiry in terms of the Western Cape Provincial Commissions Act. But the report also states they do not have enough to invoke that.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: VOCfm/Stock
