Our leaders must investigate and explain City of Cape Town’s links to gangsterism
25 September 2024
The National Police Commissioner must urgently step forward and explain how the SAPS or the Hawks will properly investigate the City of Cape Town's alleged links to gangsterism.
There is no doubt that we need a full investigation into how criminal organisations have continued to operate freely in the City, despite all its alleged checks and balances, and security forces.
Ongoing developments paint a chilling picture of how underworld activities are happily taking place in South Africa’s allegedly best-run municipality.
Last year, City of Cape Town official Wendy Kloppers was gunned down on a construction site in Delft. The City attributed the murder to “construction mafia”.
After visiting the scene together with his Mayoral Committee member for human settlements Malusi Booi, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the DA-led City “would not be intimidated by selfish thugs”.
The following month, in March 2023, the City suspended Booi, for alleged fraud. It released no details about Booi’s alleged transgressions, and continued paying his salary for six months until he resigned as a councillor in October.
Booi was arrested by the police earlier this month in connection with unlawful contracts worth about R1 Billion. His nine co-accused include alleged leader of the 28s gang, Ralph Stanfield, and Stanfield’s wife, Nicole Johnson.
Last week, two days after the court granted most of the accused bail, one of them – Abdul-Kader Davids – was shot dead in Mitchell’s Plain in an apparent gang hit.
Now, concerns over the safety of City of Cape Town manager Lungelo Mbandazayo have arisen amid reports that heavily armed suspected 28s gang members were found near his home over the weekend.
This is highly suspicious as the City manager has also been leading investigations in the Human Settlements Department and the links to Stanfield and his wife.
Yet, instead of acknowledging the rot in the city and reassuring Capetonians that due diligence processes have been tightened to ensure gang bosses are not getting government contracts, the City has had little to say on the matter.
Earlier this year, in March 2024, the head of the City’s shady Special Investigation Unit, Reynold Talmakkies, stepped down after being called out by a magistrate for trying to interfere in a gang-related case involving Talmakkies’ son.
Talmakkies was controversially appointed to the position by Cape Town Mayco member JP Smith, who styles himself the Sheriff of Cape Town – and operates a budget and well-equipped crime-fighting force of the size to make any sheriff proud.
The reason Talmakkies’ appointment was controversial was that he was hired after leaving the South African Police while facing charges for fiddling with a police docket. Prior to vacating his City of Cape Town job he faced new charges relating to corruption and defrauding his employer (the City).
Smith, reflecting on Talmakkies’ tenure, nonetheless told media: “He has helped to bring some bad people to book, including those who murdered City staff, and for that we are grateful. But all of the good he has done could not stand against the serious allegations he faced.”
Smith is way out of his league. He is the de-facto commander-in-chief of the city’s army of LEAP officers, with a sea wing, drones, shot spotter technology and, in Talmakkies’ former unit, alleged intelligence capacity.
But the City increasingly takes on the appearance of a crime scene, while quarterly crime statistics remain stubbornly high.
We need an investigation at the highest level, while the Mayor must also explain the City’s links to gangsterism, whether Booi had accomplices in the City or was acting alone, and what steps the City’s taken to prevent such losses in future.
Issued by Brett Herron, Secretary General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament, GOOD, 25 September 2024
