Former head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), Robert McBride, returns to the stand today before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, as his testimony continues amid serious allegations of misconduct.
The claims include accusations that McBride may have colluded with private investigator Paul O’Sullivan to target senior police officials.
MPs are expected to grill him on claims of institutional infiltration and the handling of sensitive intelligence within the justice system, which are now under parliamentary review.
As previously reported, McBride has revealed details about a counter-intelligence unit he helped establish with Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo.
McBride clarified that the unit, which was focused on monitoring Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, was strictly limited to intelligence collection and was never authorized to conduct arrests or launch formal investigations.
According to McBride, any attempt to exceed this mandate would constitute a serious violation. “This was a collection structure,” he told lawmakers, stressing that it was never intended to investigate crimes or civilians.
McBride also reaffirmed that the role of counter-intelligence within SAPS is to safeguard the institution from internal threats, not to replace investigative units.
He described the unit’s function as essential for identifying corruption or infiltration by criminal networks within SAPS itself. “The job is to keep the water pure,” McBride explained. “It is not about investigating cartels or members of the public.”
In response to questions from ActionSA MP Dereleen James, McBride made it clear that counter-intelligence was never meant to target civilians.
“Counter-intelligence has no business investigating cases involving members of the public,” he said. He also warned that any actions outside the unit’s established mandate would blur critical lines within law enforcement.
Matlala, whose companies were awarded controversial state contracts, including the R360 Million health services contract with SAPS, was arrested in May 2025.
SAPS commissioner Fannie Masemola later canceled the contract, and Matlala is currently in custody. He has since been transferred to a super-maximum facility in KwaZulu-Natal.
While Khumalo’s Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) initially focused on investigating political assassinations, the unit’s scope later expanded to uncover alleged corruption within SAPS.
During his suspension, McBride revealed that several IPID cases were prematurely closed, partly due to infiltration by Crime Intelligence.
He specifically mentioned the controversial appointment of Officer Tlou Kgomo, who moved from IPID to Crime Intelligence and later defended Phahlane in Parliament.
McBride warned that Crime Intelligence’s counter-intelligence unit, which is tasked with investigating its own members, had been compromised. He described control over the unit’s slush fund as giving officers “effectively invincible” power.
McBride’s testimony also highlighted systemic interference and alleged inducements designed to sabotage investigations.
He shared a sworn statement from an IPID investigator, who claimed that Mkhwanazi had requested information to implicate McBride and O’Sullivan.
In exchange, the investigator was allegedly promised career advancement within SAPS. Similar inducements were reportedly offered to slain IPID official Mandla Mahlangu and former Crime Intelligence investigator Cedrick Nkabinde.
McBride accused Mkhwanazi of playing a “prosecutable role” in efforts to derail investigations into Phahlane.
He also raised concerns about inconsistencies in Mkhwanazi’s account of his relationship with Mahlangu, who was murdered in 2020.
Although McBride made it clear that he was not accusing Mkhwanazi of involvement in Mahlangu’s death, he questioned why Mkhwanazi, despite claiming to be a close friend, did not attend Mahlangu’s funeral.
“I find that a bit strange,” McBride said, pointing out apparent contradictions in Mkhwanazi’s statements.
Further testimony revealed that Mahlangu had received threats, some of which were traced back to Crime Intelligence.
McBride suggested that Mahlangu’s murder may have disrupted a critical investigation into Phahlane, even though suspects had been arrested and convicted.
Despite the convictions, McBride described the broader context as troubling, with Phahlane using “every trick in the book” to avoid standing trial for the past seven years.
Politics
