Brandon Nel Western Cape Premier Alan Winde released a report on Thursday regarding allegations that the infamous 28s gang infiltrated high...
Brandon NelWestern Cape Premier Alan Winde released a report on Thursday regarding allegations that the infamous 28s gang infiltrated high-ranking police positions — a report that supports these claims.
The investigation was initiated following a 2022 decision by Western Cape High Court Judge Daniel Thulare, who cautioned that the 28s gang had penetrated high-level police positions — including gaining entry to discussions with the provincial police commissioner, Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile, and his senior officials.
The report, seen by IOL, found that a claim of inappropriate behavior against Patekile and his senior leadership was confirmed based on the weight of evidence.
A three-year-old report, prepared by police ombudsman Maj-Gen Oswald Reddy, referenced Thulare's decision and extensive media coverage as proof.
"The claim of inappropriate conduct against the provincial commissioner and his top officials is determined to be valid based on the preponderance of evidence, with Tulare's assessment acting as initial proof, along with the extensive unfavorable media coverage related to the issue," the decision noted.
Winde issued the report following increasing pressure from community organizations, during a violent week in Cape Town, where over 30 individuals have been killed since Monday.
From April to August, 63 children were killed throughout the province — with gang-related violence responsible for the majority of the fatalities.
Last week, the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition advised Winde to release the report by November 7 or risk legal consequences.
In the legislature, following the submission of the report to the house, Winde stated that gang violence was "a pandemic impacting too many of our citizens" and mentioned that he had taken all possible steps to uncover the root of the issue.
His resistance responded by demanding the declaration of a state of emergency.
Winde stated, "the lives of innocent children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents have been unnecessarily lost — tearing apart families."
He stated that immediate action was required.
"We refuse to remain quiet about this issue," Winde stated.
This is not something that should be trivialized through political debates, but instead demands that we all come together with a single voice.
Winde also drew renewed focus to the 2022 bail appeal ruling by Thulare.
The ruling sparked worries regarding "the potential infiltration of the Western Cape branch of the South African Police Service by members of organized crime — particularly the 28s gang."
Winde stated that if the claims were confirmed to be true, "they would constitute one of the biggest betrayals of our citizens since the beginning of our democracy."
He stated: "Those responsible for safeguarding our neighborhoods are now collaborating with the very criminals determined to undermine those communities."
During the last three years, this administration has consistently worked to ensure this issue is thoroughly examined, and to have those found at fault brought to justice and imprisoned.
He mentioned on October 27, 2022 — only 10 days following Thulare's ruling — that he filed a complaint with the Western Cape police ombudsman to check if a commission of inquiry could be initiated.
He mentioned that the ombudsman's inquiry encountered constraints.
"Although the ombudsman made every effort to gather pertinent evidence related to Judge Thulare's statements, along with input from the police and the National Prosecuting Authority, both entities were unable to provide a response because the issue was under judicial review," Winde stated.
Winde also outlined his administration's actions as they awaited the results of the investigations.
We did not cross our arms at this point.
"We kept applying pressure on the appropriate authorities to speed up these inquiries... almost two years later, on October 1, 2024, the IPID investigation finally began," he stated.
He added that additional steps are being implemented to guarantee responsibility.
Due to the evident absence of urgency from national organizations responsible for examining these claims, I concluded that further action was necessary.
It is why I aimed to subject the senior leadership of the Western Cape police to lifestyle reviews.
"Considering the budget limitations and how seriously we regarded these claims, we even proposed to cover the cost of the audits," Winde stated.
He also condemned the "delayed reaction" by national officials.
For many years, the national police have been either unwilling or incapable of collaborating with this government to address the pressing problem of gang-related crime that keeps causing significant harm to numerous communities.
"The idea that this could result from organized criminals infiltrating the top levels of police decision-making — is terrifying," he said.
We have an obligation to do all we can to compel those in power to bring attention to what could be one of the darkest moments not only for the Western Cape, but for South Africa's criminal justice system.
Head of the opposition Khalid Sayed statedWinde was correct on one point — gang-related violence had indeed become a widespread issue.
"It has taken away too many of our people's peace, security, and optimism," he stated.
But what [Winde] neglects to recognize is that although he talks about unity and strong measures, our communities are still suffering under his administration's leadership.
Speaker, the reality is that this regional administration has become skilled at pointing fingers at others while assuming minimal accountability.
[Winde] informs us that he has done 'everything possible,' yet the situation on the ground presents a different narrative.
Children continue to be shot while traveling to school.
Mothers continue to sleep on the ground to escape random gunfire. Families keep mourning their relatives every weekend.
Grant Marais from the Freedom Front Plus mentioned that public confidence has been shattered.
"How can we bring back public confidence? It's not straightforward," he stated.
Withholding information is not always beneficial. It should be transparent. Police officers involved in corruption need to be dismissed.
We urge all involved parties to contribute their part in eliminating corruption within the province and to protect public lives. We must not allow any more lives to be lost in the region.
We demand that the police force be thoroughly purged.
This is a question of life and death.
Khalil Brinkhuis from Al Jama-ah stated that 63 young children have been killed in the Western Cape during the last five months due to gang-related violence.
He mentioned that this issue required attention.
Ferlon Charles Christians from the ACDP requested that a state of emergency be declared.
"We continue to read about murders, more murders in the newspaper each day," he said.
I would like to ask the Prime Minister to ask the President to announce a state of emergency.
"These killings cannot continue.
The issue we face is that ammunition is freely available on the streets, and young people are being enlisted as assassins — as young as 14, and you're recruited to commit murder.
IOL News
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