The stench of corruption is thick enough to choke a horse in South Africa. A series of botched cocaine raids, orchestrated by elements within the South African Police Service (SAPS), have not only embarrassed the government but drawn the wary eyes of the UK Foreign Office. Sources close to the investigation confirm that the raids, meant to intercept a multi-tonne cocaine shipment, instead revealed a web of complicity, theft and murder.
The trouble began in early December when a joint task force, tipped off about a major drug shipment arriving at Durban harbour, launched a series of raids. But something went badly wrong. Instead of seizing the drugs, police were accused of stealing them. Whistleblowers inside the SAPS say that high-ranking officers orchestrated the theft, pocketing millions of rand worth of cocaine. Three officers have since been arrested, but the rot runs deeper. A senior investigator told me: 'This is not a few bad apples. This is a system that thrives on dirty money.'
The UK Foreign Office has issued a statement expressing 'serious concern' over the 'lack of transparency and accountability' in the South African police. That is diplomatic speak for 'we think you’re a bunch of crooks.' And they are right. The British government has a vested interest: several of their nationals have been caught up in the fallout, including a British businessman found dead in his Johannesburg mansion last week. Police claim suicide. No one with a brain believes that.
Documents leaked to this desk show that the cocaine pipeline runs from Latin America through South Africa to Europe. The SAPS were supposed to be the gatekeepers. Instead, they became the smugglers. The auditor general has been asked to probe the financial records of several top officers, but don’t hold your breath. In South Africa, the cartels own the cops, not the other way around.
The timing could not be worse. President Ramaphosa is already under fire for his handling of state capture allegations. This latest scandal threatens to unravel the fragile credibility of his government. The opposition has called for a parliamentary inquiry, but that is like putting a fox in charge of the henhouse. The real question is: who authorised the theft? And who is protecting them?
One name keeps surfacing: Khaya Mkhize, the former deputy police commissioner. He was fired in 2019 for corruption but still wields influence. Sources say he was seen at the harbour the night of the raids. When I reached him for comment, he laughed and hung up. That is the sound of impunity.
The UK has offered assistance, including forensic accountants and intelligence analysts. Whether South Africa will accept is another matter. They don’t want outsiders poking around. Not when there are millions of dollars at stake and careers to protect.
This is a story that will not go away. Every time you think the lid is on, the stink gets worse. The bodies are piling up. And the British government is watching. They know that when the cops become the crooks, the whole system starts to rot. I will keep digging. Because someone has to.
