Divisions in the top echelons of the South African Police Services widened this week when acting national police commissioner General Khomotso Phahlane suspended a senior Eastern Cape police officer.
Colonel Sandragasen Moonsamy, who is head of the East London Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), was served with a letter of suspension on Tuesday last week.
His suspension letter makes it plain that General Phahlane is settling an old score.
Moonsamy, a police officer with 30 years of experience, commanded police officers who deal with recording and investigating crime scenes and collecting clues for forensic analysis.
The centre collects and processes forensic exhibits and registers cases on computers.
State equipment in his possession, including a laptop with sensitive information of ongoing investigations, were confiscated by the police.
He was further gagged from speaking to colleagues and barred from entering his office in Oxford Street.
The suspension letter, seen by the Daily Dispatch, states Moonsamy has been suspended for disrespecting Phahlane by calling for him to be charged.
The suspension letter makes reference to an article in the Sowetan newspaper dated February 2, where it was reported that Moonsamy was prepared to sacrifice his career to force Phahlane to appear before parliament to account for some of his past activities in the SAPS.
These included alleged irregular expenditure Phahlane incurred when he was head of the SAPS forensic division. This relates to the purchase of forensic supplies that Phahlane signed off but could not be used for various reasons.
Moonsamy did not answer questions sent by the Dispatch last week.
The Sowetan reported that Moonsamy had approached parliament last December and alleged that there were irregularities in the millions spent to improve forensics.
He said chemicals worth millions of rands were dumped at police stations where they expired.
In an e-mail Moonsamy penned to Nicolette van Zyl-Gous, a researcher on the police committee, he wrote: “I am requesting a comprehensive investigation into the allegation that I’m making against the acting national commissioner. If what I am saying is untrue, then I am willing to put my career of almost 30 years to an end.”
Called for comment by the Sowetan, Moonsamy reportedly said: “I just want justice to be done.”
Phahlane’s spokesman, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the Dispatch on Thursday that an investigation had been conducted following the allegations of irregular expenditure in the forensic division.
“The investigation was sanctioned by suspended national commissioner . The report, which was never published, found the allegations to be unfounded and baseless. The allegations surfaced in 2012 and four years down the line no one has provided any evidence to support their claims,” Mulaudzi said.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) provincial chairman Loyiso Mdingi said Moonsamy was suspended for simply sending a detailed complaint to the portfolio committee.
He labelled the suspension as brazen victimisation of a member.
“We are challenging this unfair labour practice,” Mdingi said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Another EC top cop out in the cold
Colonel Sandragasen Moonsamy, who is head of the East London Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), was served with a letter of suspension on Tuesday last week.
His suspension letter makes it plain that General Phahlane is settling an old score.
Moonsamy, a police officer with 30 years of experience, commanded police officers who deal with recording and investigating crime scenes and collecting clues for forensic analysis.
The centre collects and processes forensic exhibits and registers cases on computers.
State equipment in his possession, including a laptop with sensitive information of ongoing investigations, were confiscated by the police.
He was further gagged from speaking to colleagues and barred from entering his office in Oxford Street.
The suspension letter, seen by the Daily Dispatch, states Moonsamy has been suspended for disrespecting Phahlane by calling for him to be charged.
The suspension letter makes reference to an article in the Sowetan newspaper dated February 2, where it was reported that Moonsamy was prepared to sacrifice his career to force Phahlane to appear before parliament to account for some of his past activities in the SAPS.
These included alleged irregular expenditure Phahlane incurred when he was head of the SAPS forensic division. This relates to the purchase of forensic supplies that Phahlane signed off but could not be used for various reasons.
Moonsamy did not answer questions sent by the Dispatch last week.
The Sowetan reported that Moonsamy had approached parliament last December and alleged that there were irregularities in the millions spent to improve forensics.
He said chemicals worth millions of rands were dumped at police stations where they expired.
In an e-mail Moonsamy penned to Nicolette van Zyl-Gous, a researcher on the police committee, he wrote: “I am requesting a comprehensive investigation into the allegation that I’m making against the acting national commissioner. If what I am saying is untrue, then I am willing to put my career of almost 30 years to an end.”
Called for comment by the Sowetan, Moonsamy reportedly said: “I just want justice to be done.”
Phahlane’s spokesman, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the Dispatch on Thursday that an investigation had been conducted following the allegations of irregular expenditure in the forensic division.
“The investigation was sanctioned by suspended national commissioner . The report, which was never published, found the allegations to be unfounded and baseless. The allegations surfaced in 2012 and four years down the line no one has provided any evidence to support their claims,” Mulaudzi said.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) provincial chairman Loyiso Mdingi said Moonsamy was suspended for simply sending a detailed complaint to the portfolio committee.
He labelled the suspension as brazen victimisation of a member.
“We are challenging this unfair labour practice,” Mdingi said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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