By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National police commissioner Fannie Masemola is facing arrest for the irregular procurement of crime intelligence buildings worth more than R120 million.
Fullview understands Masemola’s arrest is for authorising irregular purchases of buildings.
According to City Press, the arrest of Masemola is at an advanced stage.
Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson Henry Mamothame says that they are not getting an arrest warrant for Masemola.
“We do not comment on matters under investigation. IDAC is not in the process of getting a warrant of arrest for the national police commissioner.”
This follows the arrest of Dumisani Khumalo, the head of the Crime Intelligence division within the South African Police Service (Saps) and seven others as the probe into the looting of the Crime Intelligence secret service account continues.
Khumalo was granted bail of R10 000 following his arrest in connection with a 45 million corruption scandal.
The properties in question include a boutique hotel in Pretoria North, Gauteng, purchased for R22.7 million, and a commercial building in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), valued at R22.8 million.
Both acquisitions have been made without the requisite ministerial approval.
The Crime Intelligence secret service account, also known as a slush fund, is allocated more than R600 million annually, which is used to pay police informants nationwide in exchange for information about criminal syndicates and their activities.
Khumalo arrest is yet another clear indication that SA’s critical Crime Intelligence arena remains in trouble — controversy, infighting and accusations of criminality have dogged it for years.
This is especially concerning given its role.
The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) 2025/2026 annual performance plan describes this as being to: Manage crime intelligence and analyse crime information and provide technical support for investigations and crime prevention operations.
About two weeks ago, Crime Intelligence’s chief financial officer, Major General Philani Lushaba, handed himself over to Idac.
Lushaba and three other police officers face charges of corruption, perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
Earlier this year, Khumalo’s name also cropped up in a policing scandal involving cocaine.
Major General Feroz Khan, the head of counterintelligence and security at Crime Intelligence, had been cleared in that saga, which was tied to a 2021 cocaine interception in Johannesburg.
Khan had said that Khumalo used the drug interception to try to get rid of him because of his investigations, with possible links to Khumalo, into the abuse of secret service funds.
Meanwhile minister of police Senzo Mchunu has noted with concern the reports of imminent arrest of Masemola and further said he was not made aware of the impending arrest.