How refusing R45m 'Grabber' funding for ANC ‘cost’ ex-Crime Intelligence official

FORMER Crime Intelligence’s Secret Services Account head Tiyani Lincoln Hlungwani’s problems intensified when he apparently refused to authorise R45 million to buy a grabber machine for the Crime Intelligence.

Hlungwana told MPs at the Ad Hoc Committee on Thursday that part of the R45 million was to be used to fund a faction of the ANC at the party’s elective national conference in 2017.

“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.

Hlungwani said he had been working at the Crime Intelligence Services before the ANC 2017 national elective conference, but became a target when he refused to authorise the transaction for a grabber machine. The machine is used to intercept communications among other functions. 

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 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.”

Cape Times