A senior South African police official has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, and now British anti-corruption trainers are being flown in. Sources confirm the hit was professional. Two gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on the police chief's convoy in Johannesburg.
The chief was wounded in the shoulder. His driver is dead. The attack comes days after he authorised a major probe into a sprawling procurement scandal.
The scandal involves contracts worth hundreds of millions of rand. The beneficiaries include companies linked to politicians. The British High Commission confirms a team of anti-graft specialists is being deployed.
They will train local officers in financial forensics. The UK government says it is a routine capacity building exercise. But this is no routine.
The timing is too precise. The chief's investigation was about to expose a money laundering network. The network moves cash through shell companies in London.
The British team will have access to sensitive data. That is a problem for some powerful people. The police chief is cooperating with British investigators.
He is sharing documents. The documents show offshore accounts. They show payments to intermediaries.
The intermediaries are connected to the ruling party. The assassination attempt was meant to stop the flow of information. It failed.
The chief is recovering in a secure location. He says he will not be silenced. His wife and children have been moved to a safe house.
The British team arrives tomorrow. They will work with the Hawks, the elite crime unit. The Hawks have been compromised in the past.
Several of their officers were arrested for corruption. This time, the British are supervising. They are demanding transparency.
The South African government is uneasy. They say they welcome the assistance. But behind closed doors, there is resistance.
The British are not just training. They are investigating. They are tracking the money.
The money leads to property in Mayfair. It leads to a luxury car dealership. It leads to a politician's son.
The son is a known associate of the gunmen. The police chief's phone records confirm calls between the son and the hitmen. The calls were made hours before the attack.
The British are now monitoring the son's communications. He is under surveillance. He has not been arrested.
Not yet. The police chief is expected to make a statement tomorrow. He will name names.
He will drop evidence. The British anti-graft team will be standing behind him. That is a powerful image.
It is also a dangerous one. The underworld is watching. They have already tried to kill him.
They will try again. But the chief is ready. He is surrounded by British security.
They are ex-SAS. They do not miss. This story is far from over.
