Allegations of irregular procurement involving two software programs have surrounded former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and his co-accused for several years. Phahlane is set to appear in the Pretoria High Court in October.
He, along with five others, is accused of misconduct related to contracts totaling R54 million. The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court recently transferred the case to the High Court, where the accused will attend a pretrial conference on October 21.
The other former police officials facing charges alongside Phahlane include Lieutenant-Colonel Godfrey Mahwayi, Major-General Maanda Nemutandzhela, and Major-General Mankosana Agnes Makhele. They are implicated in the alleged irregular procurement of the software programs Ripjar and Daedalus. Ripjar was reportedly procured in response to the 2015 fees-related student protests, while Daedalus is alleged to have been used to cover Phahlane’s tracks in another investigation.
“Daedalus was used for encrypting calls and deleting cellphone records and messages when Phahlane was under investigation by IPID for the ‘blue lights’ police tender and other irregular procurements during his tenure as acting police commissioner,” stated Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).
Two businessmen, Inbanathan Kistiah and Avendra Naidoo, also face charges of fraud, corruption, and theft in connection with this case.
Phahlane was suspended in 2017 and dismissed in 2020 after remaining on paid suspension. He was arrested in September 2022. At that time, Phahlane claimed that investigators were searching for transactions related to computers and contracts, asserting that none were found.
Previously, he faced corruption charges tied to “gratifications” allegedly accepted by him and his wife from a car dealership. These charges were provisionally withdrawn in November 2018.
Despite being fired in August 2020, Phahlane continued to fight to clear his name and regain his position, but he lost the final review of his dismissal in October 2023.
