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By Chris Steyn
Some police officers deployed to the SAPS National Task Team to investigate murders, attempted murders, fraud and corruption at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) received money or gifts from the man who would later be unmasked as the “mastermind”.
This is detailed in affidavits seen by BizNews.
The “mastermind”, Isaac Plaatjies, was UFH’s former Director of Investigations and Vetting at the time. He is currently one of 10 accused of involvement in the murders of UFH Fleet Manager Petrus Roets and the Vice-Chancellor’s bodyguard, Richard Vesele, as well as the attempted murders of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sakhele Buhlungu and Deputy VC Renuka Vithal.
One affidavit, made by a Captain attached to Crime lntelligence Head Office, describes how she started receiving money from Plaatjies after she lost her grandmother. “…after that when Isaac Plaatjies called, he could hear I was not well. He asked what was wrong, I then shared the bad news with him. He then shared his condolences and offered to pay for my flight ticket. He said I do not have to drive to Pretoria as he heard I was not well, that is when I sent him my Capitec account number …
“On the 17th August 2023 I received R2 500.00 from lsaac Plaatjies, I used that money to buy a flight ticket. On the 23rd September 2023 I received a WhatsApp message from lsaac Plaatjies saying he wanted to bless my kids and he sent R1 500.00. On the 16 November 2023 it was my birthday, Isaac Plaatjies called and wished me well and said he was going send me something to celebrate, on the date I received R5 000.00 into my Capitec account.”
Two months later to the day, Plaatjies himself was arrested.
“On the 17th November 2023 the task team arrested lsaac Plaatjies. All along I treated him as a brother I did not know he was involved in any of the cases we were investigating,” the captain states in her affidavit.
In another affidavit, a Detective Constable, attached to the Anti-Corruption Unit, describes how, on Saturday 23 September 2023, she received a WhatsApp call from Plaatjies stating “that he knows I will refuse since I have not requested any money from him or assistance, but he will just transfer money to me and therefore asked me to call out my bank account number to him. I then called out to him my Standard Bank account with number… and I immediately saw an amount of two housand five hundred rands (R2500.00) from I Plaatjies… reflecting.”
In yet another affidavit, a National Task Team Sergeant describes how he received clothing from Plaatjies.
“On Thursday, 12th of October 2023 in the morning I received a WhatsApp phone call from lsaac Plaatjies number… he informed me that he was not feeling well, and he wanted to give me a coat and a polo-neck. I told him that on that day I was going home. lsaac Plaatjies then told me that he will send one of the undercover guy that works for UFH under him to bring the above-mentioned items. On the same date at about 13:10 I phoned lsaac Plaatjies, and I informed him that I was leaving for KwaZulu-Natal, and he told me that I will meet with the undercover guy and asked me where I can meet him. I told lsaac Plaatjies that I will meet the said undercover investigator at Engen Filling Station Garage, Abbotsford. lsaac Plaatjies told me that his guy will be driving a white Nissan np200 bakkie. I also told lsaac Plaatjies that I was a white Toyota Corolla with registration number…
“On the same date at about 13:33 I arrived at Engen Garage, Abbotsford I parked inside the garage premises and at about 13:38 an African male arrived driving a white Nissan np200 bakkie with no canopy and he parked parallel with my vehicle he alighted from his vehicle he was speaking on his phone. After dropping the call he came to my vehicle, my window was opened he greeted me, and he gave a white plastic upon inspecting the plastic there was a maroon coat and a green polo-neck and he left.
“lsaac Plaatjies phone me using WhatsApp call and asked me if his guy came, I told yes him and I thanked him for the said items he gave me.”
Yesterday, BizNews reported that the commander leading the Multi-Disciplinary Task team to East London to investigate the UFH murders and attempted murders received R10 000 from Plaatjies.
In his affidavit, Lieutenant Colonel Ntate Paul Khumalo said it was for 60 bottles of honey…that were never delivered.
At the time of making his affidavit in late August this year, Colonel Khumalo was deployed as MAJOC (Mission Area Joint Operations Centre) Commander of the National Task Team investigating political related incidents around KwaZulu-Natal.
*You can read that story here: From honey trap to murder… true tales of a Task Force sting
Meanwhile, BizNews has written to both the Police Ministry and SAPS for comment on the contents of these affidavits and to find out whether these police officials are still being deployed. BizNews also alerted the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police to the affidavits. Should they comment, this story will be updated with their responses in full.
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