Ex-Crime Intelligence official exposes R45m 'Grabber' funding for ANC conference

The Ad Hoc Committee heard on Thursday that part of the R45 million to buy a grabber machine for the Crime Intelligence was to be used to fund a faction of the ANC at the party’s elective national conference in 2017.

Former Crime Intelligence’s Secret Services Account head Tiyani Lincoln Hlungwani maintained that the R45m transaction he refused to authorise for the grabber was meant to fund the ANC conference.

“Intelligence operatives even have a document which points to this matter. It was going to be used to fund this conference,” he said, adding that a portion of the amount was to buy the grabber and the remainder was to be taken for the conference.

Responding to questions during his testimony, Hlungwani told the committee that he was removed from his position while he was busy reviewing monies in the “Slush Fund”.

In his testimony before the committee, Hlungwani said the information about money stolen from the Secret Services Account was within the Crime Intelligence Services.

“I could not have the time to have the proof. When I was busy conducting a review of those monies, I was removed,” he said when responding to questions on his second day of testimony.

Hlungwani said he had been working fine at the Crime Intelligence Services before the ANC 2017 national elective conference, but he became a target when he refused to authorise the transaction for a grabber machine.

“There were no issues. I was working fine. The attacks started immediately after there, attack after attack.”

However, Hlungwani confirmed that he had been arrested on a frivolous criminal complaint by the then CFO of the Secret Services Account.

“This preceded the events of the Nasrec conference,” he said.

Hlungwani said one of the police generals had testified in a disciplinary matter that former police commissioner Khehla Sitole had asked why the finance person was not dealt with, despite Counter-Intelligence ruling him out on the matter.

Another senior officer had informed him that they had investigated and found nothing against him.

“It was only after the Nasrec conference that I was considered a suspect.”

In his earlier testimony on Wednesday, Hlungwani said he had been removed from his position and spent six years on suspension.

“This is as a result of protected disclosures I made, which resulted in the arrest of people, but primarily, my removal had more to do with the ANC conference,” he said, referring to the Nasrec conference.

He also told the inquiry that he had been requested to release funds for one of the factions of the ANC at the conference.

“The monies were apparently to be used to buy a grabber machine, but it was much lower than the monies that were requested. I refused to accede to that request. After the conference, my life changed. I was subjected to occupational detriment.”

He claimed that Sitole had promised “politicians” as a condition of his appointment that he was to use some of those monies to fund the conference for one of the factions in the ANC.

“This is something that is under investigation,” he said.

Hlungwani also claimed that Sitole had refused to release some of the classified documents when the Independent Police Investigative Directorate challenged him.

“He said the minister at the time, Fikile Mbalula, was the one basically who requested him to buy this thing because there was a security risk.”

He recalled being called to a meeting at one of the hotels to meet the supplier, and he was told to process the transaction of R45m.

“I refused, but I gave the generals reasons why it can't be done,” Hlungwani said, adding that he subsequently approached Crime Intelligence's legal advisor, who advised him not to get involved.

He also said Sitole had insisted that the transaction should go ahead even “if it meant we speak to Malusi Gigaba, the finance minister”.

“The transaction was eventually stopped by the Inspector-General of Intelligence. We reported there is this thing that is going on,” he said, adding that the matter was also reported to the IPID.

Hlungwani said IPID was investigating other matters within Crime Intelligence at the time of the grabber saga.

“They were the most reliable people at the time.”

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za