South African Police Services (SAPS) Whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale was taken into court in leg irons today (Thursday, 17 August 2023). This after she came out of hiding after 17 months to appear in the Bloemfontein Regional Court in the hope of having the warrant of arrest issued against her on 3 March 2023 cancelled. That warrant was withdrawn, but not until she had been arrested, taken to the cells – and into court shackled. In her reaction, Morgan-Mashale told BizNews: “My children were at court today to support me and they saw me in the leg irons. And I didn’t want them to see that…I wouldn’t have allowed them to go to court if I knew that I was going to be shackled.” Despite yet another harrowing experience, she remains defiant: “They can still open cases against me. I don’t regret anything. I will do it over and over again. I don’t regret speaking out about corruption.” Veteran police- and violence monitor, Mary de Haas, called the shackling of Morgan-Mashale “barbaric” – Chris Steyn
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Relevant timestamps from the interview
- 00:00 – Introductions
- 00:07 – Supplied footage of SAPS Whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale arriving to court in leg irons
- 00:50 – Patricia Morgan-Mashale on her thoughts ahead of her court appearance
- 01:55 – Morgan-Mashale on the charges laid against her
- 02:33 – On Mary de Haas’s statement that she is facing a ‘malicious prosecution’
- 03:32 – On receiving a red notice
- 03:59 – On the next steps for her
- 04:13 – On her safety
- 05:18 – On if she has any regrets
- 05:52 – On why she has a target on her back
- 06:54 – On threats against her life
- 08:03 – On what she has to say to the people in power who are persecuting and prosecuting her
- 08:38 – Concludes
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Highlights from the interview
South African Police Services (SAPS) Whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale was taken in to court in leg irons today (Tuesday).
This after she came out of hiding after 17 months to appear in the Bloemfontein Regional Court in the hope of having the warrant of arrest issued against her on 3 March 2023 cancelled.
That warrant was indeed withdrawn – but not before Morgan-Mashale was arrested, taken to the cells, and into court shackled in front of her children.
“…there was a prior arrangement between the Senior Prosecutor and my lawyer that I will not be arrested or detained…they will just release me on a thousand rand bail.
“So I was shocked when I arrived there and the investigating officer said that he was going to arrest me, and he took me to the Park Road Police Station to charge me and then I was detained in the court.
“My children were at court today to support me and they saw me in the leg irons. And I didn’t want them to see that…I wouldn’t have allowed them to go to court if I knew that I was going to be shackled.”
Morgan-Mashale says this is “definitely a malicious prosecution”, but “luckily the warrant of arrest was canceled today”.
The case was postponed until the 30th of October.
Meanwhile, she remains defiant: “They can still open cases against me. I don’t regret anything. I will do it over and over again. I don’t regret speaking out about corruption.”
Veteran police- and violence monitor Mary de Haas, who has been fighting her case, says: “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 Ramaphosa government.”
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