Ex-top cop dies before facing charges
2010-08-17 08:18
Mbombela - Former Mpumalanga police commissioner Afrika Khumalo, who was implicated in an international drug-smuggling racket in the corruption case against disgraced former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi, has died.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Leonard Hlathi Khumalo died in a Johannesburg hospital on Friday.
“I can confirm that he has died, but I have nothing more to say because this is a private matter.
"He was no longer with the South African Police Service,” said Hlathi on Monday.
Self-confessed drug baron Glen Agliotti implicated Khumalo in a sworn affidavit he had signed on December 11 2006.
It was submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority on January 11 2007 as part of the case against Selebi, who was found guilty of corruption in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on July 2.
Selebi, who was cleared on a count of defeating the ends of justice, is appealing his 15-year sentence.
The NPA refused to prosecute Khumalo until Selebi's case was finalised.
Its spokesperson, Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga, said on Monday that the NPA would now have to wait until the outcome of Selebi's appeal before taking a decision "on the next step".
Selebi is expected to formally lodge his appeal on Tuesday.
Chain of 'smugglers'
In Agliotti's affidavit, he stated that an unnamed son of former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano ran a Mandrax factory in Mozambique and that crooked policemen in South Africa would confiscate the contraband in South Africa and only give it back to the crime bosses in return for a hefty fee.
Agliotti said the smugglers would sometimes have to pay Khumalo as much as R1m to get their contraband back.
He said the racket was not limited to drugs but also included illegal liquor, cigars and cigarettes.
Agliotti also said he was not directly involved with Khumalo, but was connected to him through his chain of "smugglers" in the underworld.
Khumalo booked off sick in March 2008 shortly before he was due to give a press conference about being implicated in the syndicate.
On August 31 last year, after taking 17 months sick leave, he finally retired as commissioner.
He was replaced by Thulani Ntobela in November.
Missing Mandrax
A month before Khumalo's retirement, some members of the Mpumalanga Organised Crime Unit were transferred after Mandrax worth R3.75m was stolen from a locked storeroom at the unit's Mbombela (Nelspruit) branch.
Shortly afterwards, on July 22, unit head Senior Superintendent Obed Ngwenya was shot and wounded by unknown gunmen at his home in Middelburg.
Sources in the police speculated that the attack had been carried out by Ngwenya's own men who were involved in stealing the Mandrax.
According to an investigating officer of the Hawks in Pretoria, who would only identify himself as Colonel Xaba, three people have been arrested for Ngwenya's shooting.
“I don't remember when they were arrested but one is out on bail, while the other two were denied bail when they appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate's Court last Wednesday,” he said.
Xaba added that the case of the missing Mandrax was still under investigation.
“Unfortunately no one has been arrested so far,” he said.
Ngwenya refused to comment on the case against the three suspects.
“I still have no idea what is going on with this case. As a victim it is really difficult for me to comment,” said Ngwenya.