Cape Town - National Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo has rubbished reports that Western Cape detective boss Maj Gen Jeremy Vearey is subject to an investigation for kidnapping, torture and defeating the ends of justice.
This comes after a report emerged over the weekend suggesting that senior officials in the Western Cape, including Brig Cass Goolam, the station commander in Mitchells Plain are under investigation.
Naidoo said there was no investigation but an “analysis” of an old case involving senior officials in the province.
Naidoo said: “In the Western Cape, there is a national intervention taking place where there have been charges and counter-charges investigated.
“I cannot tell you that there are investigations being conducted, because people have been opening charges and counter-charges against each other since 2009. We are now analysing all of them, this doesn’t mean that there is an investigation per se,” said Naidoo.
It was alleged in the reports that Vearey and Goolam were investigated for allegedly trying to frame two men for the killing of Mervin Jacobs, who was shot dead in 2009.
It is further alleged that the men were tortured and told to confess to the murder. Jacobs was allegedly involved in investigating a drug deal in Mitchells Plain.
This report has since led to a protracted fight between the ANC and DA in the Western Cape.
On Saturday, ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs accused the DA of heading a “smear campaign” against Vearey, saying that the allegations were to taint the party's name ahead of 2019 elections.
Jacobs said Vearey was targeted because he has asked for an investigation into DA Western Cape premier candidate Alan Winde to be reopened.
Winde hit back and slammed Jacobs for what he said was “politicising” a crime issue in the province.
“I have no idea what he means by smear campaign. There are serious issues, there are charges laid by one officer against another and complaints. These are senior police officials in the province. It is concerning that the ANC is trying to politicise this.
“There needs to be an investigation, senior officials are at each other’s throats. It does not make any sense to me, Ipid and national minister must sort it out,” said Winde.