From the State to syndicates: Why arrest of former cop signals bigger crisis

The arrest of a former SAPS Special Task Force member is a stark reminder that the effects of corruption are far-reaching.

Last week, former police officer Matipandile Sotheni was arrested in connection with the murder of Marius van der Merwe, also known as Witness D at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

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Tebogo Khaas, chairperson of Public Interest SA, emphasised that Sotheni’s arrest should not be understood as an isolated event.

“[This arrest] should be understood as a symptom of a deeper systemic corruption within the police system. And it only points to one thing, a convergence of organised crime, compromised law enforcement, as well as political protection networks embedded within private security networks.”

He explained that Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala boasted about his ability to attract highly trained individuals, supposedly because he paid them better than the government could.

But it is the state that pays for these individuals to be trained.

“It is a very concerning issue because it means that these people are now embedded within the security networks, and they’ve got historical knowledge of what it is to be in that policing or military environment.”

Khaas added that corruption is not just vertical, affecting senior-level officials, but also horizontal.

“You’ve got operational-level corruption where case talkers keep disappearing…. tip-offs are ignored, and then there is evidence tampering.”

He explained that it creates a chain of impunity, where accountability mechanisms are bypassed or mutualised.

To listen to Khaas in conversation with 702’s Bongani Bingwa, use the audio player below: