With Police Minister Senzo Mchunu having ordered a halt to the filling of vacant posts at Crime Intelligence, Forensics for Justice founder Paul O’Sullivan is fighting the “parachuted” appointment two months ago of a 29-year-old brigadier who allegedly has no police training or experience, no driver’s license, no firearms training, no specialised skills – and no Security Clearance. O’Sullivan has given the Brigadier 14 days to produce all documentation relating to her appointment, including the names of those that facilitated it; resign; and hand back all payments – or face charges “to expose the criminal that appointed you”. O’Sullivan says big portions of the police remain captured because the Zondo Commission did not investigate a large number of appointments of individuals with high rank who are not fit and proper to be in those positions. O’Sullivan calls for an internal Commission of Inquiry into “the very many senior appointments that have been unlawfully made” over the last 10 years. “If the person that’s appointed as Commissioner of Police in 2025 is an ethical person, I will gladly render service free of charge in saying, listen here, this is the research that we’ve done, here’s a good starting block for you because we’ve got a number of senior police officials that need to be chased away – and the sooner they’re chased away, the better.”
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Edited transcript from the Interview
Chris Steyn (00:01.85)
The Minister of Police has put a stop to the filling of vacant posts at Crime Intelligence. Meanwhile, Forensics for Justice founder, Paul O’Sullivan, is fighting the appointment, two months earlier, of a high-ranking officer in that division. He is with us now. Welcome, Paul.
Paul O’Sullivan (00:21.484)
Good morning.
Chris Steyn (00:23.546)
Paul, whose appointment do you have such a problem with—and why?
Paul O’Sullivan (00:27.79)
Well, just put yourself in the shoes of, let’s say, a Lieutenant Colonel, Captain, or Major with 15 or 20 years of service, or a full Colonel with maybe 25 years of service, likely close to the age of 50 or 45—or even their early 40s. Then along comes a 29-year-old female with no police experience, no driver’s license, no firearms training, no police training, no police administration training, and no specialized skills that could benefit the Police Service.
She gets parachuted into Crime Intelligence with the rank of Brigadier. Suddenly, you have all these mature, seasoned police officials, who’ve spent the better part of their lives working for promotions, watching this happen right in front of them. It’s shocking and impermissible.
As a substantial taxpayer, I’m not prepared to stand by and watch any more of this hanky-panky. I’ve written to this lady, giving her an ultimatum: resign, return the salary she’s been paid, go back to BMW South Africa where she worked as an admin assistant, and leave the police alone.
I’ve also asked her to provide details—which we already know but I want in writing—about the very senior officer in Crime Intelligence who facilitated her appointment, who happens to be a family member of hers.
Paul O’Sullivan (02:20.18)
The rot has to stop. Crime Intelligence, during Richard Mdluli’s tenure, was essentially a family business for a decade. Now, it has reverted to that state. Promotions are not about competence or performance but about connections—who you know and who you are related to.
I’ve also uncovered corruption in Public Order Policing (POP) in KwaZulu-Natal. Certain individuals allegedly paid R50,000 bribes for undeserved promotions—essentially two grades up, which come with substantial pay increases. This was reported to Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, the Provincial Commissioner for KZN. He said it’s not his jurisdiction and referred it to Lieutenant General Mamotheti, who oversees POP. Despite being informed on September 22, she’s done nothing, and these individuals have been promoted.
Paul O’Sullivan (04:37.518)
This corruption is pervasive across the Police Service. Hardworking officers, who dedicate their lives to justice, are being sidelined by criminals within the service paying bribes for appointments.
If you pay a bribe to secure a position, you’re a criminal, violating Act 12 of 2004—the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Practices Act. Corrupt officers won’t enforce the law ethically; they’ll perpetuate corruption. This is the core issue in the Police Service.
Frankly, we need proper management. While there’s some improvement, the current Commissioner of Police is not fit for the role. At his appointment, I publicly stated he was unfit and cited reasons, including accepting a Louis Vuitton bag from a police supplier. Yet, he remains in office.
I’ve played a key role in the removal of two previous commissioners, and I’m committed to ensuring this commissioner is replaced by someone with integrity and competence.
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Paul O’Sullivan (07:00.13)
The leadership failure extends to basic functions like opening criminal dockets. Recently, my team accompanied a client to report a complex fraud case. Despite presenting a lever-arch file of sworn, typewritten statements, a constable refused to open the case, demanding handwritten statements.
When my team escalated to the senior officer, they were ignored until they threatened legal action. Why should we go to such lengths to open a docket? This reflects poor leadership.
The new Minister of Police faces an uphill battle. Transforming this dysfunctional system is akin to making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
During the Zondo Commission, my organization provided over 1,000 hours of input, detailing how state capture was facilitated by a compromised criminal justice system. The former police leadership enabled this rot. Former officials like Phahlane—now on trial for numerous charges—illustrate the depth of the problem.
Paul O’Sullivan (09:14.816)
The frog leaped into the position of NDPP. I’m talking about Shaun the Sheep Abrahams. Between the pair of them, they neutralized any attempts at stopping State Capture.
When the Zondo Commission investigated State Capture, right towards the end, despite all the work that had been done, they decided they were no longer going to look at the criminal justice system when considering the effect of State Capture. I made the point all along that this was a big mistake because, for these criminals to get away with what we now know as State Capture—most notably the Gupta family, though they weren’t alone—others were involved.
We talk about SAA, about how Dudu Myeni stripped SAA to the bone through corrupt practices. Now, she gets criminally charged, and then, unfortunately for her, she passes away. So there’s no justice. Nobody sees any justice being done.
Now, we have a state-owned airline that used to be one of the best airlines in Africa, and it’s on its knees because it hasn’t got the finances that were stripped and removed by corrupt individuals.
The Zondo Commission failed to realize that people like myself opened a case against Dudu Myeni back in 2014. If you open a criminal case against someone like Dudu Myeni, you don’t expect the criminal justice system to protect her. Yet, that’s what happened. She was protected. Not only was she protected, but they also came after me, accusing me of intimidation because I asked her to leave her job or face the music.
If the criminal justice system had been doing its job properly, there would have been no State Capture. But the criminal justice system was captured first. That process started in 2010 and continued unabated. So now we have a criminal justice system where…
Paul O’Sullivan (11:33.196)
…a large number of individuals were placed in senior positions, and they’re still sitting there. They’ve never been removed. I focus on the police because that’s where the real impact occurred.
There were some appointments in the National Prosecuting Authority, like Shaun Abrahams. That’s been dealt with; his appointment was found unlawful by the Constitutional Court, and he was fired. He was replaced by Shamila Batohi. Now, Shamila Batohi—God bless her cotton socks—is way out of her depth.
She appointed, or the president appointed, another lady to head up the Investigative Directorate. That lady resigned two years later and was replaced by Andrea Johnson—a very competent individual. I believe that with Andrea Johnson in the Investigative Directorate, at least that portion of the criminal justice system is working.
The National Prosecuting Authority, in most areas where we require input, is working. But as far as the police are concerned, large portions remain captured because the Zondo Commission did not investigate many of these appointments. Now, individuals in high-ranking positions are not fit and proper to be there.
The result is that we have a Head of Crime Intelligence, Major General—or Lieutenant General—Khumalo, who spends most of his time in a hotel in Umhlanga. He claims to live in a hotel because his life is in danger. If your life is in danger as a police official and you’re not capable of coping…
Paul O’Sullivan (13:37.272)
…then throw in the towel and leave the police. Every policeman’s life is in danger—it’s part of the job. If the Head of Crime Intelligence feels incapable of protecting himself, he’s not fit to be a policeman.
You certainly shouldn’t be doing things like living in a R75,000-a-month hotel because you feel your life is in danger. Crime Intelligence needs to be completely restructured. The Minister has taken steps in the right direction with a cracking letter. Unfortunately, its effects cannot be retrospective.
Now, we have situations where a 28-year-old admin assistant at BMW is parachuted into a position as brigadier. I say, “Uh-uh.” The Minister might not have picked this up, but I have. And whether they like it or not, she’s going.
Chris Steyn (14:49.648)
Paul, what position has she been given? Do you know if she obtained Security Clearance for that role?
Paul O’Sullivan (14:56.684)
She hasn’t got Security Clearance. I’ve never heard of anyone being appointed at the rank of brigadier straight from the street unless they have specialist skills.
You might appoint someone with a doctorate in criminology for crime strategic planning or a specialist spokesperson. But even then, Security Clearance is completed beforehand. You don’t appoint someone and then check later.
Had they conducted a proper clearance, they’d have found she was a director of several defunct companies and a current director of another company specializing in technical support. My understanding is that she’s been appointed in Crime Intelligence Technical Support. Something’s fishy. This needs deeper investigation.
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Chris Steyn (16:40.016)
Paul, you called her two days ago to discuss her appointment. Tell us how that went.
Paul O’Sullivan (16:47.768)
It was interesting. I introduced myself and explained why I was calling. I pointed out that I hadn’t contacted her last year because I wanted to see if her position was ratified.
She was appointed on November 1st. By the end of November and December, she had received her salary, meaning she was part of the structure. So, I called her on Saturday, concealing my number, to ask how she got the job, who facilitated it, and what special skills brought her from BMW to a brigadier role.
She was extremely arrogant. She said, “Things have changed in the police now. You can be appointed as a brigadier.” I asked who appointed her and what processes were followed. She replied, “If you want to know, contact police headquarters.” Then she hung up.
That tells me she has something to hide. I followed up with an email, which I forwarded to you. You’re welcome to publish it. There are hard-hitting questions in there, and she hasn’t responded. I also sent her a message—let me pull it up…
Paul O’Sullivan (19:01.77)
I say the following to her: I confirm you have refused to explain your appointment into Crime Intelligence at the rank of Brigadier. 100% of the men and women below your rank will refuse to respect a girl who was unlawfully appointed to Brigadier instead of starting as a Constable. If you believe I am wrong in my stance, I invite your written submission to [email address provided]. If I don’t hear from you, I will institute criminal charges against you so you can explain to a court what went on.
You might want to check if your job at BMW is still open because you will not stay long in the police. All rights reserved, Paul O’Sullivan, Forensics for Justice. And then I added: PS, be prepared to hand back all the salary you have received.
So, you know, I know for a fact who facilitated her appointment. I’m hoping that person will now have a go at me because I’m going for him next.
Chris Steyn (19:51.887)
And you have alerted the Minister and the Commissioner to this as well?
Paul O’Sullivan (20:05.494)
I copied the email that I sent to her to the Divisional Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sibiya, who is one of the few very decent and ethical senior officers in the police. Coincidentally, he’s at loggerheads with Crime Intelligence, which falls under him. So I believe that somewhere along the way, it will be dealt with in due course. I doubt I’ll have to institute a civil action to get this woman removed from her position because, now that I’ve flagged her up, her tenure in the police will likely be a matter of weeks.
Chris Steyn (20:54.694)
Now, Paul, you’ve also seen the letter the Minister of Police sent to the National Commissioner on New Year’s Eve with strong directives. What’s your opinion of that move?
Paul O’Sullivan (21:06.978)
Well, I can honestly say that, in my opinion, he is bang on the button. There should be no posts filled in the Intelligence Division or Crime Intelligence Division because the people managing the process of appointments in Crime Intelligence are treating it as a family business. And they have been doing so for a long time. Every appointment in Crime Intelligence over the last 10 years needs to be reviewed.
He also mentions issues at ports of entry. That needs to be addressed. And then there’s the Political Killings Task Team. I know for a fact—because one or two members of that team have come to us as whistleblowers—that the Political Killings Task Team is more like a Political Task Team. It’s being driven by politics, used to arrest and charge people on political directives rather than evidence. Officers are told, “Arrest that person and charge them.” And when they push back, saying there’s no evidence, they’re told, “Just charge them anyway; I’ll handle the political fallout.” It’s become a political tool to settle scores.
Chris Steyn (22:41.894)
The Minister is telling the Commissioner to disband it now, isn’t he?
Paul O’Sullivan (22:48.94)
Yes, exactly. I think we’ll see some pushback on that—not necessarily from the Commissioner of Police, because he will do as he’s told. He hasn’t got long left in his post. I believe he will either be fired or retire during 2025, which will open the door for the appointment of an ethical leader.
I hope the new Commissioner will establish an internal Commission of Inquiry—not necessarily a judicial one—to investigate the numerous unlawful senior appointments made over the past 10 years. If we get an ethical Commissioner in 2025, I’ll gladly render my services free of charge to assist with research and provide a starting block. A number of senior police officials need to be removed, and the sooner they’re gone, the better.
Chris Steyn (24:14.352)
Thank you. That was Forensics for Justice founder, Paul O’Sullivan, speaking to BizNews. I am Chris Steyn. Thank you, Paul.
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