By Des Erasmus and Lebone Rodah Mosima
Suspended Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Daphney Manamela alleged on Sunday that national police chief Fannie Masemola and retired Major-General Botsotso Moukangwe took a R5 million “payment” to block her return to office.
Speaking at a media briefing in Mbombela, Manamela said Moukangwe “allegedly made a confession” on 4 February 2025 that he and Masemola had been paid by businessman Bobby Mosiane Motaung to ensure she “does not return to work”.
She alleged the money changed hands in January 2025 in Montana, Pretoria, and said the aim was to stop the reopening of dockets related to the 2009 murder of former Mbombela speaker Jimmy Mohlala and Mbombela Stadium fraud and corruption cases.
Manamela said the alleged bribe was part of a pattern of interference in politically sensitive and high-profile investigations in Mpumalanga.
She alleged that dockets relating to the Mohlala matter and the stadium tender were removed from the province, moved without her authorisation, and “manipulated” in the system.
Manamela has twice been suspended as Mpumalanga police commissioner.
She was initially suspended in February 2023 after misconduct charges were laid against her, after allegedly improperly receiving gifts from police stations in the province.
That suspension was overturned by court order in March 2023.
She was suspended a second time by Masemola in June 2024 after allegations of misuse of office, misuse of state resources, treatment of staff and alleged threatening conduct. A board of inquiry was launched to assess whether she was fit to continue in office.
The high court eventually lifted that suspension and stopped the inquiry pending the outcome of her review and appeal processes.
On Sunday, however, she said she was suspended for enforcing discipline and demanding accountability from senior officers allegedly implicated in corruption and extortion.
She said Masemola was “on a mission to dismiss me”.
Manamela said she had “knocked on many doors”, including those of Masemola, then Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and former police minister Bheki Cele for assistance, but alleged that after she demanded “progress and enforcing accountability”, her “powers to discipline senior officers were taken”.
Talking about the fate of the provincial task team that was established in December 2021, she said the unit investigated 159 dockets, achieved results in 61 cases and saw more than 61 suspects arrested and charged.
It was verbally disbanded during both of her suspensions, she said, undermining ongoing investigations.
The task team was established to investigate serious crimes such as ATM bombings and later illegal mining, but it expanded to include extortion, political killings, kidnappings and other organised crimes.
Expanding on the alleged manipulation of the province’s docket system, she said that at least 19 dockets were still reflected under Moukangwe’s name in the system and were being kept in his office, rather than being properly investigated.
Too, she said, one Colonel DJ Malope allegedly had 213 dockets assigned to him and kept in his office without proper investigation.
She said dockets were taken from stations, stored in senior officers’ offices, moved on the system to create the appearance of progress, duplicated in some cases and, in others, simply disappeared, shielding suspects from prosecution.
She also accused Cele of meddling in politically sensitive policing matters, including pressing for the arrest of a former Mpumalanga MEC without evidence and interfering in cases such as the Hillary Gardee murder investigation.
After the briefing, SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told media that the allegations were “serious” and “cannot be taken lightly or ignored”.
Mathe said the police and police legal team would consult Manamela, formally assess the claims, and refer them to the appropriate investigative units.
Meanwhile, Masemola is due to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with the R360 million Medicare24 SAPS tender scandal.
He has been charged under Section 38 of the PFMA over the tender, regarding his role as the SAPS accounting officer and his responsibility for procurement controls.
Medicare24 is owned by tenderpreneur, attempted murder-accused, and alleged underworld figure, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
The state alleges the tender process breached treasury rules and unfairly favoured the company.
It was eventually cancelled by Masemola, but only after Matlala had already been paid just over R50 million.
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