By Johnathan Paoli
Parliament’s ad hoc committee heard explosive testimony from former Crime Intelligence (CI) Brigadier Tiyani Hlungwani, linking his dismissal to his refusal to authorise unlawful expenditure from the Secret Service Account and to allegations he levelled against senior Crime Intelligence leadership, including Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo.
Hlungwani, who previously served as Section Head of Finance and Administration Services within SAPS CI, was responsible for overseeing the Secret Service Account, commonly referred to as the SAPS “slush fund”, including agent payments and funding for covert intelligence operations.
“My refusal to release the funds from the Secret Service Account was the turning point. From that moment onwards, I was subjected to sustained occupational detriment, marginalisation and eventual removal from my position within Crime Intelligence,” he said.
At the outset of his evidence, the committee confirmed that Hlungwani was no longer employed by SAPS, having been dismissed, though he has lodged an appeal against that dismissal.
He told MPs that he personally drafted and commissioned his affidavit without legal assistance and emphasised that his appearance before Parliament was not motivated by personal vindication, but by a desire to expose what he described as deep-rooted and systemic governance failures within Crime Intelligence.
Central to Hlungwani’s testimony was his account of sustained pressure and abuse following protected disclosures he made about corruption and abuse of public funds.
He testified that after raising concerns internally and with oversight bodies, he was removed from his post under the guise of a “temporary” suspension that exceeded the regulatory 90-day limit.
He was later transferred to what he described as a non-existent position within Crime Intelligence, leaving him without meaningful duties for nearly six years.
Despite this, Hlungwani said he was ultimately dismissed on the grounds of alleged absenteeism.
He described the dismissal as procedurally irregular and unprecedented, alleging that it was affected by junior officers, contrary to SAPS regulations governing disciplinary action against senior officers.
He maintained that his absence from work was a direct consequence of being sidelined and marginalised, not desertion.
“I was not dismissed for fraud or theft. I was dismissed for alleged desertion, despite the fact that I had been placed in a non-existent position and sidelined for years. The dismissal was irregular, unlawful and carried out by junior officers, which is unprecedented in SAPS,” Hlungwani said.
Hlungwani linked his treatment to the political fallout following the ANC’s 2017 Nasrec conference, arguing that Crime Intelligence became increasingly unstable in the years thereafter.
While his affidavit references several former divisional commissioners, including former CI boss Lieutenant-General Peter Jacobs, he stressed that the problem was institutional rather than personal.
However, his testimony placed particular emphasis on allegations involving the current Crime Intelligence Divisional Commissioner, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo.
Hlungwani alleged corruption, cronyism and abuse of state resources under Khumalo’s leadership, as well as hostility directed at him personally after he refused to compromise financial controls.
A key episode detailed in his evidence concerned an alleged attempt to unlawfully access R45 million from the Secret Service Account for the procurement of a surveillance “grabber” device ahead of the 2017 ANC conference.
“I was instructed to facilitate the payment of R45 million for equipment whose quoted cost was far lower. I refused because it was unlawful and procedurally incorrect, and I reported the matter to IPID and the Inspector-General of Intelligence,” he said.
He described meetings at the Courtyard Hotel in Pretoria involving senior SAPS generals, Crime Intelligence leadership and a service provider who was later arrested.
According to Hlungwani, intense pressure was placed on him to approve the payment, including suggestions that then Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba be approached if necessary.
Hlungwani confirmed that IPID intervened during Robert McBride’s tenure as executive director, halting the transaction.
He further testified that after his acquittal in a criminal case relating to a R50,000 transaction from the Secret Service Account, and a Section 174 discharge at the close of the state’s case, Khumalo was furious about the outcome and opposed his return to the unit.
“After my acquittal, General Kumalo was very angry about the outcome and made it clear that he did not want me to return to the Secret Service Account, despite the state’s case having collapsed,” the former brigadier said.
Hlungwani contrasted this with Khumalo’s own response when he later faced legal difficulties, arguing that different standards were applied.
The committee will continue on Thursday, with MPs questioning Hlunwgani on his testimony.
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