MBOMBELA – The upper echelons of the South African Police Service (SAPS) have been plunged into a fresh crisis following explosive allegations that National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola received a R5 million bribe from prominent football administrator and businessman Bobby Motaung. The claims, made by suspended Mpumalanga Police Commissioner Daphney Manamela during a defiant media briefing in Mbombela, suggest a deep-seated conspiracy to manipulate the justice system and protect high-profile figures from prosecution.
Manamela, who has been locked in a bitter legal and administrative battle over her suspension, told journalists that the alleged bribery was confirmed to her by Major General Botsotso Moukangwe. According to Manamela, Moukangwe confessed that both he and Masemola were the beneficiaries of the multi-million rand payout from Motaung, the general manager of Kaizer Chiefs and son of the club’s legendary founder.
The motive for the alleged bribe, Manamela asserts, was two-fold: to ensure she was never reinstated to her position as the provincial head of police and to prevent the revival of long-standing fraud and corruption cases against Motaung.
“Mr Bobby Mosiane Motaung and other two were arrested and released on bail for fraud in relation to the Mbombela Stadium tender. The docket was taken from Capt Nyathikazi attached to Nelspruit SAPS. According to the system, on the 11 October 2019, Brigadier Mojela booked the docket to Senior Public Prosecutor and returned on the same date. This is pure manipulation of the system. This docket too was taken from the province buy Colonel Moloko,” says Manamela.
The allegations strike at the heart of one of South Africa’s most enduring scandals—the construction of the R1.2 billion Mbombela Stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Motaung and his co-accused were originally arrested in 2012 on charges of fraud, forgery, and theft involving approximately R143 million. The state alleged they had used a forged tax clearance certificate to secure the lucrative tender. However, the case has been plagued by delays and administrative "disappearances" of evidence for over a decade.
More chillingly, Manamela has directly linked the interference in Motaung’s legal troubles to the 2009 assassination of Jimmy Mohlala. Mohlala, the former Speaker of the Mbombela Local Municipality, was gunned down at his home after blowing the whistle on massive corruption and tender irregularities surrounding the stadium’s construction. His murder remains one of the most high-profile unpunished political killings in the country’s democratic history.
Manamela’s testimony paints a picture of a coordinated effort within the SAPS to "cleanse" dockets and sideline any official who attempts to pursue the truth. She claims that the removal of dockets from provincial control to national units—specifically mentioning Colonel Moloko—was a tactical move to ensure they were never properly prosecuted.
The response from the SAPS national office has been swift but measured. Police Spokesperson Athlenda Mathe acknowledged the gravity of the accusations, stating that the general’s allegations are "very serious and cannot be taken lightly or ignored." Mathe confirmed that the accusations must now be subjected to the "necessary investigative processes," though she did not specify which body would lead the probe into the National Commissioner himself.
For Bobby Motaung, the allegations threaten to drag him back into a legal quagmire he has spent years trying to escape. Despite his high-profile status in South African sport, the shadow of the Mbombela tender has never truly dissipated. Manamela’s claim that R5 million was paid to "kill" these cases suggests that the evidence against him may be far more substantial than the public has been led to believe.
The political fallout is expected to be significant. Masemola, who was appointed to restore stability to a police service ravaged by years of infighting and "state capture" allegations, now finds his own integrity questioned by one of his own senior commanders. The involvement of Major General Moukangwe as an alleged co-conspirator further suggests that the rot may extend beyond a single individual.
As the "investigative processes" begin, the public will be watching closely to see if this is another instance of the "blue wall of silence" or if the SAPS is finally prepared to hold its most senior leaders accountable. For the family of Jimmy Mohlala, who have waited seventeen years for justice, these new allegations offer a glimmer of hope that the dark secrets of the Mbombela Stadium may finally be dragged into the light.
The suspended Commissioner, however, remains resolute. By going public, Manamela has effectively burnt her bridges with the SAPS high command, positioning herself as a whistle-blower fighting against a tide of institutional corruption. Whether she is a victim of a purge or a participant in a high-stakes power struggle, her words have set off a firestorm that the National Commissioner will find difficult to extinguish.
