Public Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane is investigating how former SA Police Services (SAPS) crime intelligence head Peter Jacobs was appointed to the sensitive post, as succession battles in the troubled institution begin in earnest following the sacking of national commissioner Khehla Sitole.
Mkhwebane’s office has written to the SAPS confirming she was investigating allegations of maladministration and improper conduct in connection with the appointment of Jacobs, which was made at the time when former deputy national commissioner for human resource management was Lt- Gen Bonang Mgwenya. Her probe also focuses on the alleged delay by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) to finalise a criminal case against Jacobs.
In the letter sent to the SAPS on Tuesday, and seen by Sunday World, senior investigator in Mkhwebane’s office Masekela Maphosa said the investigation emanates from a complaint lodged by an employee of the SAPS in November 2019.
The complainant alleged that in April 2018, Jacobs was appointed to head crime intelligence notwithstanding the fact that there was a pending criminal case against him, which he failed to disclose to the interview panel as required in terms of the national instruction 11 of 2017 on appointments to posts in the senior management service.
“In addition, the complainant alleged that the interview panel recommended the appointment of Lt- Gen Jacobs (who came third during the interviews) to the post of head of crime intelligence notwithstanding Mkhwebane sets sight on Cele ally the fact that they were aware that Lt- Gen Jacobs was facing a criminal prosecution,” he said.
“It is the contention of the complainant that, it was apparent that the political principals [unnamed] were eager to have Lt-Gen Jacobs to the post of divisional head: crime intelligence irrespective of whether he was the preferred candidate in terms of performance in the interviews,” he added.
The complainant also highlighted the lack of action by the SAPS senior management and Jacobs’ immediate supervisor then Lt-Gen Lebeona Tsumane (deputy national commissioner for crime detection) as well as the Ipid’s failure to deal with the case .
In November 2020, Sunday World reported that Inspector-General for Intelligence Setlhomamaru Dintwe was investigating allegations that the crime intelligence under Jacobs had irregularly paid close to an R1-million to procure PPEs, some of which were rejected for being substandard. Following months of toing and froing, Sitole demoted Jacobs to the divisional commissioner of the inspectorate in March last year.
It has emerged that Jacobs, a known ally of Police Minister Bheki Cele, was set to make a spectacular comeback as Crime Intelligence boss after Sitole’s sacking last week.
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