News24 | Top Crime Intelligence cop arrested for sex worker burglary scandal

Crime Intelligence chief financial officer Philani Lushaba.

Major General Philani Lushaba – chief financial officer of the police’s Crime Intelligence division – handed himself over to police in Pretoria on Friday morning.

Lushaba is one of four officers who were either arrested or surrendered themselves in the last two days.

It is understood the arrests relate to a burglary he reported in 2022 in which his official laptop, cellphone and state firearm were stolen.

The case is being driven by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).

While Lushaba claimed he was burgled while away from home, News24 cited sources in Crime Intelligence who alleged he had a dalliance with a sex worker who had robbed him.

This detail, and others from this narrative, were allegedly omitted from his original report of the crime.

The other senior Crime Intelligence officers allegedly helped him cover up the scandal and ensuing criminal cases that were lodged.

The three officers are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Lushaba is also at the centre of a procurement scandal set on a R81-million splurge on a range of properties, including a boutique hotel in Pretoria worth R22.7 million, with the real estate binge investigated by the Inspector General of Intelligence.

Plans to purchase another Durban property of R13 million appear to have fallen through.

The buying spree was financed from the Secret Service Account, a slush fund normally used to bankroll covert operations and pay informers.

It is unclear if the arrest will also cover these procurement issues.

This is a developing story.