By Chris Steyn
South African Police Services (SAPS) Whistleblower – Patricia Morgan-Mashale – is coming out of hiding after 17 months.
Top lawyers engaged by Whistleblower House to provide legal assistance to Morgan-Mashale have arranged for her to appear in the Bloemfontein Regional Court on 17 August 2023, with a view to having the warrant of arrest issued against her on 3 March 2023 cancelled.
In her reaction, Morgan-Mashale tells BizNews that her life “remains in danger”, but says: “I have the right of freedom of movement and I can’t be in hiding indefinitely because my family needs me. So I’m putting the responsibility of any future attempts on my life on them, they must call off their hitmen or bear the consequences. I am not afraid to go to court the because I am ready to defend myself.”
The story behind Morgan-Mashale’s malicious persecution is laid bare by veteran police- and violence monitor Mary de Haas in a letter sent to BizNews. (read or download below)
De Haas states that the origins of the persecution of Mashale lie in “collusion” between the State Security Agency (SSA) and SAPS management in trying to find out what information the Mashale couple might possess about corruption implicating key ANC politicians and ministers in the (Cyril) Ramaphosa government.
“From March/April 2021, as threats and internal disciplinary action against Patricia commenced, this collusion was obvious.
“In April 2021,George (Mashale) and Patricia were informed that then Deputy Minister of State Security, Zizi Kodwa, claiming he was acting on behalf of the President who was concerned about reports of SAPS corruption, wanted whatever information they might have obtained in the course of their work about ministerial and ANC corruption. This included what had transpired at Nasrec in 2017 (which George had) and links between SAPS guns and politicians (which Patricia, having been leaked information by a colleague, had reported to then national commissioner [Khehla] Sitole).
“George also met personally with Zizi Kodwa in April 2021, whereby Kodwa informed him that President Ramaphosa had tasked him (Kodwa) to establish a team who would be in contact with him and Patricia. Patricia was also at the meeting venue, but she remained in the car.
“The couple co-operated with the agents, to the point of Patricia allowing them to download what was on her laptop and cellphone, as they believed that Kodwa (who stopped returning calls) was operating on behalf of the President.”
De Haas stresses that Morgan-Mashale’s life now remains in danger “because those in the most powerful of State positions believe that she may have highly incriminating information about their corruption”.
De Haas adds that Patricia dare not reunite with her family “as there are constantly cars coming and going” and keeping her house under surveillance.
“Attempts to trace them have been unsuccessful because they only display registration certificates which accompany new ownership, not number plates. However, on 15 August 2023, one was clearly identifiable : It was a white BMW known to be driven by members of the Hawks (names and number plate known).”
De Haas asks: “How is Patricia Mashale – like all those who do the right thing and expose corruption – going to stay alive, given the odds stacked against her by the most powerful politicians in SA?”
And she warns: “If Patricia Mashale is killed, we know which police and ministers are implicated, and that the ultimate blame will lie with President Ramaphosa by his failure to stop ministerial criminality.”
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