Key Takeaways
- Lt‑Gen Sindile “Pitso” Mfazi, Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, documented a credible assassination threat on 10 December 2020 and died seven months later; his widow insisted the cause was poisoning, not Covid‑19.
- Exhumation and toxicology confirmed a poisonous substance, prompting SAPS to open a murder investigation into alleged senior‑police involvement.
- Mfazi’s diary and official pocketbook reveal he was probing several high‑risk matters: the secret services account, the Phala Phala farm burglary, irregular Covid‑19 PPE procurement, and the legal battle over SAPS forensic systems (PCEM/FPS).
- The documents suggest a coordinated effort to obstruct his investigations, including missing files, threatened witnesses, and a possible cover‑up of his death.
- Activists and researchers stress the need for independent, well‑resourced anticorruption bodies to protect investigators from internal threats.
Background and Initial Threat
On 10 December 2020 at 18:33, Lt‑Gen Sindile “Pitso” Mfazi meticulously noted in his diary an “intel call” from an unregistered number. The caller, claiming to be from the anti‑gang unit, warned him of an active plot to assassinate him and named senior police officers as alleged conspirators. Mfazi recorded the warning with the precision of a trained intelligence officer, yet no protective measures were instituted despite the gravity of the threat.
Death, Widow’s Skepticism, and Exhumation
Seven months after the threat, Mfazi died. SAPS initially attributed his death to Covid‑19 complications, a conclusion his widow, Lindelwa “Malindi” Mfazi, rejected outright. She insisted he had been murdered and that SAPS members were implicated in a cover‑up. Ten days after his burial, acting on a conversation with National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole, Lindelwa had the body exhumed. Toxicology tests revealed a poisonous substance, contradicting the official Covid‑19 narrative and confirming foul play.
Parliamentary Disclosure and Renewed Investigation
In February 2025, former intelligence analyst Philasande Dotyeni presented evidence to parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu‑Natal police commissioner Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Dotyeni’s protected disclosure highlighted Mfazi’s poisoning and the lack of any follow‑up investigation. The disclosure prompted SAPS to launch a murder inquiry into one of the most serious allegations of senior police involvement in criminal activity.
Secret Services Account Probe
Mfazi’s pocketbook entry on 18 November 2020 recorded a meeting with the Office of the Inspector‑General of Intelligence (OIGI). He noted that financial documents supplied by crime intelligence covered only the previous fiscal year, leaving a critical gap for 2020/21. He instructed his team to “compile a portfolio of evidence regarding the conduct of the divisional commissioner of crime intelligence.” This audit was aimed at uncovering maladministration in the highly sensitive, multimillion‑rand secret services account, a fund historically vulnerable to looting.
Link to the Phala Phala Farm Burglary
Dotyeni’s March 2026 protected disclosure revealed that Mfazi was quietly probing the fallout of the February 2020 burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm. His inquiry did not focus on the stolen foreign currency but on allegations that crime intelligence funds and state resources were unlawfully diverted to run an off‑book covert operation to track the thieves and contain political fallout. Because the operation allegedly lacked a registered Crime Administration System (CAS) docket, it fell outside lawful SAPS procedures. The missing 2020/21 secret services account records—flagged by Mfazi during his OIGI audit—were identified as the very files needed to prove the unlawful expenditure.
Covid‑19 PPE Procurement Irregularities
On 15 December 2020, Mfazi chaired an internal audit meeting reviewing emergency Covid‑19 personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement. He documented a procurement universe of R1.6 billion, flagging systemic governance failures: verbal approvals without written authorisation, payments processed without stock controls, and an estimated R35 million in direct irregular losses. He also noted that the audit report had been leaked, a criminal case opened, and that an internal supply‑chain contact had received threats linked to the audit. Consequently, he requested a threat assessment from Deputy National Commissioner Francinah Vuma.
Legal Battle Over Forensic Systems
For years, SAPS was embroiled in a catastrophic legal dispute with Forensic Data Analysts (FDA), a private consortium run by former police officer Keith Keating. FDA operated the Property Control and Exhibit Management (PCEM) system and the Firearm Permit System (FPS)—the backbone of forensic evidence management and firearm licensing. In a sworn 2018 affidavit, Mfazi led the state’s case, arguing that the systems had been built using SAPS operational knowledge and public funds, meaning the intellectual property belonged to the state. When SAPS ceased paying what it deemed irregular annual licensing fees, FDA switched the systems off, effectively holding police evidence hostage. Mfazi’s diary entries from March and April 2019 show him aggressively pursuing litigation to regain control, noting on 31 March 2019: “Signed proposal & government order. Your appeal papers will be signed today and served tomorrow to FDA. PCEM. FPS. There were some irregularities that need to be reported.” Sworn statements by analyst Litisha Richardson supported his position, alleging SAPS had been trapped by unending maintenance contracts designed to rob the state. SAPS ultimately lost the high court case and now seeks relief in the Supreme Court of Appeal, facing potential liability exceeding R1 billion to FDA.
Investigation into the Killing of Lt‑Col Charl Kinnear
Mfazi’s official pocketbook contains a detailed call log dated 22 November 2020, tracing his efforts to locate the docket concerning the killing of Western Cape senior detective Lt‑Col Charl Kinnear. He contacted the Management Advisory Services (MAS) division, spoke with Gen Lincoln, then Gen Veary, and recorded each response. This log demonstrates his methodical approach to tracking sensitive cases, even as threats mounted against him.
The Intel Call and Its Aftermath
On 10 December 2020 at 18:33, Mfazi’s pocketbook recorded the “intel call” from an unregistered number warning him of an assassination plot involving senior police officers. He documented the threat in detail, yet no effective protection was provided. Dotyeni’s parliamentary disclosure in February 2025 confirmed the toxicology findings and alerted MPs to SAPS’s inaction, underscoring a pattern of neglect and possible complicity.
Cover‑Up Allegations and Institutional Failures
Lindelwa Mfazi asserted that the case languished for nearly five years due to a lack of investigative urgency from the police service. Institute of Security Studies (ISS) researcher Lizette Lancaster highlighted alarming irregularities: files allegedly removed from Mfazi’s home while his body was still upstairs, a vanished inquest docket, and a cause of death recorded as Covid‑19 for half a decade. Lancaster argued that the situation exemplifies an elaborate cover‑up, not merely the act of a single bad actor, and stressed the necessity of strengthening internal anticorruption mechanisms. She recommended genuinely independent, well‑resourced, and physically protected investigative bodies, applicable to structures such as the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
Current Status of the Murder Investigation
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe confirmed that the murder investigation was triggered after Lindelwa approached Commissioner Sitole with allegations of her husband’s murder. The body was exhumed, toxicology identified a poisonous substance, and investigators determined the substance was not accidentally ingested, treating the case as murder. Numerous J51 search‑and‑seizure warrants have been executed at various addresses, though no arrests have been made to date. The investigative team remains confident they are on the right track, describing the probe as being at a “very sensitive and critical stage.”
Conclusion
The diary, pocketbook, affidavits, and testimonies surrounding Lt‑Gen Sindile “Pitso” Mfazi’s death paint a picture of a senior officer courageously confronting multiple layers of state capture—from illicit secret‑services financing and pandemic‑related procurement fraud to forensic‑systems litigation and high‑profile burglaries. His documented threats, the subsequent poisoning, and the apparent obstruction of justice point to a systemic risk faced by those who challenge powerful interests within the SAPS. The renewed murder investigation, coupled with calls for independent, protected anticorruption agencies, offers a potential pathway to accountability and a deterrent against future internal threats to integrity.