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22 hours ago
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Imtiaz Fazel, the Inspector-General of Intelligence, has been suspended.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended the Inspector-General of Intelligence, Imtiaz Fazel.
- The suspension followed a complaint about his conduct.
- Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence will investigate the allegations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended the Inspector-General of Intelligence, Imtiaz Fazel, after a complaint was lodged against him.
In a statement late on Wednesday evening, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Fazel was suspended pending a decision in an investigation into his conduct by Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI).
“The JSCI has informed President Ramaphosa that it has received a complaint on the conduct of the Inspector-General and that the committee will conduct an investigation in line with Sections 7(4) and 7(5) of the Intelligence Services Act (Act 40 of 1994).”
Section 7(5) of the act provides that “if the inspector-general is the subject of an investigation by the [JSCI] in terms of subsection (4), he or she may be suspended by the president pending a decision in such investigation”.
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The suspension comes at a time when Parliament’s ad hoc committee is hearing testimony on alleged political interference and corruption within the SA Police Service (SAPS).
The committee was convened following KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations that the criminal justice system had been captured.
The committee runs at the same time as the Madlanga Commission, which the president ordered in response to Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
Among the evidence heard at the Madlanga Commission is information pointing to a network of corruption and implicating senior police officials, business figures, and politicians. Among those named are controversial tender tycoon Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala and North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, both accused of using political and police connections to influence procurement processes and investigations. WhatsApp messages, payment records, and phone logs - submitted through a protected witness known as “Witness X” - have revealed communication between suspected syndicate members and senior law enforcement figures.
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These exchanges allegedly show attempts to manipulate police operations, obstruct investigations, and undermine accountability.
Testimony has also implicated suspended deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya in decisions linked to the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team, a specialised unit investigating more than 120 cases of politically motivated murders in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mkhwanazi told the inquiry that the task team’s dissolution, ordered while key officials were on leave, effectively derailed ongoing investigations and protected politically connected people.
The commission has further heard that members of Parliament, including Fadiel Adams and Dianne Kohler Barnard, allegedly interfered in sensitive operations by publicising Crime Intelligence information. Additional witnesses have identified links between police officers and organised criminal figures, including the facilitation of illicit favours and document tampering.
