April 3 2011
Embattled police Crime Intelligence boss Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli dug his own grave by stepping on the toes of spies close to his predecessor, Mulangi Mphego.
Mulangi Mphego
Police sources told The Sunday Independent that anger about Mdluli stemmed from his decision to disband certain units within the unit after taking over, in what he deemed a drive to overhaul a rotten outfit in July 2009.
His decision was seen as a purge of operatives close to his predecessor Mphego, who has since been credited with providing tapes that helped President Jacob Zuma get off corruption charges.
“When Mdluli got appointed, the biggest mistake he made was to alienate people. He came in and started transferring people out and brought in questionable people from God knows where,” the source said.
Mdluli is said to have lobbied for the Crime Intelligence top job by telling many in the ANC he was the man who helped Zuma shrug off corruption charges.
But this backfired when unhappiness about him spread in the police force and senior ANC leaders asked about his background.
This led to counter intelligence, headed by Dan Mokgabudi ( http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/goodlife/2011/03/10/caught-spying-for-the-enemy) allegedly instituting a secret probe into Mdluli before he was appointed in July 2009, which would later reveal that he was linked to a love triangle murder, one of the reasons for his arrest now. Mokgabudi had been embroiled in a protracted turf battle with Mdluli.
“Mdluli spread misinformation that he squashed Zuma’s case under difficult conditions because Jackie Selebi wanted the case to sink JZ (Zuma),” a police source said.
Mdluli was also blamed for the embarrassing surprise visit by Crime Intelligence officers to the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s office recently.
This, according to the police source, was Mdluli’s attempt to salvage his relationship with Police Commissioner Bheki Cele, a move that got him into more trouble.
“That Madonsela thing was his attempt to be seen defending the boss, and when it backfired he was even in more trouble. He was going to be suspended for that thing anyway,” the source said.
Earlier in the week the National Prosecuting Authority said its investigation into Mdluli was not linked to Czech businessman and fraud-accused Radovan Krejcir.
There had been reports that Mdluli and a colleague were involved with Krejcir, who is suspected to be behind the murder of underworld leader Cyril Beeka, who was buried yesterday.
Meanwhile, at least four different investigating units in the SAPS, in addition to the intelligence services, are looking into the slaying of underworld kingpin Cyril Beeka and the web of criminal association that surrounded him at the time of his March 21 death in a drive-by-shooting on Belville’s Modderdam Road.
The Sunday Independent learnt this week that Beeka was recently engaged in importing East European girls as strippers and exotic dancers.
According to a leading immigration law practitioner, Beeka, using an immigration agency, had a profitable sideline in arranging for girls to be fitted with residence papers and work permits under the controversial corporate permit system. The system - designed to facilitate the movement of migrant workers from neighbouring countries to the mines - allows for many “workers” to enter the country legally on a single work permit. Once in the country, the girls are then “sold” by the entrepreneur to clubs like Mavericks and Teazers, and in some cases into brothels.
As recorded in an affidavit by gold refiner Juan Meyer, Beeka, together with Krejcir, was allegedly looking to move into the strip sleaze industry in Gauteng, and on several occasions had talks around the business with since-murdered strip svengali Lolly Jackson, as well as Jackson’s rival, Andrew Phillips.
In Meyer’s version, the plan was to create a scenario in which a hostile takeover could be effected.
According to Meyer, the relationship between Beeka and Krejcir went further than the sleaze industry. Meyer claimed the two had entered into an unwritten contract whereby Beeka would front for Krejcir in putting the funds the Czech brought into the country into selected business ventures.
In this capacity, Meyer attests, Beeka, along with BEE shipping magnate Herschel Maasdorp and Investec Bank, sought to buy into his gold refining business.
Investec pulled out, apparently suspecting the plan was to smuggle gold dust into the country.
As a security manager with Ram courier service, Beeka could have been well placed to facilitate such smuggling activities.
Meyer also cut off ties after his Swiss Bank refused to facilitate the deal as long as Krejcir was involved.
Meanwhile, Meyer swears under oath, Beeka was also involved in the illicit trade in diamonds from Angola.
In his affidavit he refers to regular Tuesday and Thursday afternoon meetings at Kyalami race track, which Krejcir hired for him and his and associates to drive their supercars.
In all this time, The Sunday Independent understands, Beeka continued to have links with South Africa’s intelligence agencies. Earlier Beeka had been on the books of National Intelligence, but was let go by a cleansweeping manager in the early 2000s.
After Beeka’s death, some claimed he had been supplying information about Krejcir to investigators and might well have been identified as a key witness against the Czech, who is currently under arrest in connection with fraud.
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