How does a police colonel earning less than R26 000 a month account for millions in cash flowing through his and his wife’s finances, including payments towards a R2.35-million property?
That question was thrust into the spotlight at the Madlanga commission on Wednesday as Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) deputy director in KwaZulu-Natal, Len John, laid out a financial trail linked to Hawks officer Col Deena Govender.
At the time under scrutiny, Govender’s monthly take-home remuneration from SAPS was less than R26 000.
Suspicious financial trail
Yet, according to financial records obtained by the commission, R2,053,650 in cash deposits was paid into the bank accounts of Govender and his wife, who is also a SAPS member, between August 29 2022 and December 18 2023.
On May 15, 2023, R179 800 was deposited for the benefit of Govender and his wife into the account of the conveyancing attorneys handling the transfer of their Isibaya property. Four days later, another R200 000 was paid to the conveyancers.
And on April 26, 2023, R298 462 was transferred into Govender’s home-loan account.
The identified transactions brought the financial trail to R2,731,912, or roughly R2.7-million but the timing is what makes the money trail suspicious for John.
The payments and deposits emerged in an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the April 2023 killing of Bevan Loftus (gang leader) and four other men during a police operation in Durban.
Govender and his team suspected of plotting a hit
John’s evidence went beyond questions about unexplained wealth. He told the commission that intelligence had been received alleging that Govender and his team were planning to target Loftus.
John said the intelligence indicated that the police operation was allegedly intended to become a trap.
According to John, there was a prima facie case that alleged gang leader Clive Nicker had requested that Govender, a leader of the task team, deploy the team to kill Loftus, who was allegedly the leader of a rival gang.
The commission also heard evidence of an alleged earlier threat against Loftus.
“On 3 February 2023, members of the Task Team returned to the Loftus family homes, but Bevan fled. According to Gregory Loftus (Bevan’s father), Govender and Warrant Officer Sivar Nadoo told him they had not come to arrest Bevan, but to kill him and allegedly instructed him to ensure that Bevan’s funeral insurance was up to date because they were going to kill him. The team again searched the home and arrested Gregory Loftus.”
John said in April 2023, Gregory Loftus launched an interdict application not to kill his son as members of the Task Team under Govender’s command returned to the Loftus family’s property.
The allegation has not been proved, and the commission has yet to make findings against Govender or anyone else.
- How does a police colonel earning less than R26 000 a month account for millions in cash flowing through his and his wife’s finances, including payments towards a R2.35-million property.
- That question was thrust into the spotlight at the Madlanga commission on Wednesday as Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) deputy director in KwaZulu-Natal, Len John, laid out a financial trail linked to Hawks officer Col Deena Govender.
- At the time under scrutiny, Govender’s monthly take-home remuneration from SAPS was less than R26 000.
- Suspicious financial trail Yet, according to financial records obtained by the commission, R2,053,650 in cash deposits was paid into the bank accounts of Govender and his wife, who is also a SAPS member, between August 29 2022 and December 18 2023.
- On May 15, 2023, R179 800 was deposited for the benefit of Govender and his wife into the account of the conveyancing attorneys handling the transfer of their Isibaya property.
