PRETORIA, GAUTENG – A sensational and deeply unsettling chapter in South African law enforcement history has been blown wide open, as police cold case investigators raid former top-ranking police officials in connection with the suspicious 2021 death of Deputy National Commissioner Lt-Gen Sindile “Pitso” Mfazi. Explosive allegations reveal that sensitive investigative files—including documents tied to the clandestine fallout from the Phala Phala farm burglary—were allegedly stripped from the late general's home and his cellphone wiped clean in a coordinated effort to suppress evidence.
The raid, executed last month by the SouthAPS cold case unit, targeted former crime intelligence head Mulangi Mphego and Sergeant Ishmail Phungu, Mfazi’s former close protector. According to a detailed affidavit supplied to police by a former associate who was present at the scene after Mfazi’s death, the two men allegedly assumed unlawful control of the premises, ordered the wiping of digital evidence, and removed critical investigative files without any chain of custody, SAPS 13 receipts, or pocketbook entries.
At the time of his death in July 2021, Lt-Gen Mfazi was probing high-stakes, highly sensitive matters. While initial police reports attributed his passing to a Covid-related illness, subsequent forensic exhumations and toxicology reports revealed a chilling truth: Mfazi had actually been poisoned. Investigators soon turned their attention to what the general was working on when he died.
Records and protected disclosures submitted to Parliament indicate that Mfazi was investigating allegations that crime intelligence funds and state resources had been unlawfully diverted to run an off-book covert operation. This operation was allegedly set up to track the thieves involved in the February 2020 burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm and to contain the ensuing political fallout. Furthermore, Mfazi was also scrutinizing the assassination of Western Cape senior detective Lt-Col Charl Kinnear, who was gunned down outside his home in September 2020. Mfazi had meticulously documented his telephonic tracing of the Kinnear murder docket in his official pocketbook.
The associate’s affidavit paints a damning picture of the hours and days following Mfazi’s death. Upon entering the general’s Pretoria residence, the associate discovered papers bearing the letterheads of SAPS, the Public Protector, and the National Prosecuting Authority scattered in complete disarray across the lounge table, while Mfazi’s body lay upstairs.
According to the testimony, Sergeant Phungu—who had unrestricted access to the home—used Mfazi’s bank cards to withdraw cash and later handed over the general’s personal belongings, including his iPhone. However, the phone was entirely blank. "This cellphone was switched on and it had been wiped clean, according to Sgt Phungu," the affidavit states. "He informed me that Gen Mphego had instructed him to ensure that it is reset to factory default settings and all data removed."
The suppression of evidence reportedly continued days later. On the morning of July 14, as the family prepared to retrieve Mfazi’s remains from the mortuary, Phungu allegedly arrived at the gate at 4:30 AM demanding a "specific file." When the associate hesitated, Phungu contacted Mphego, who allegedly "directly instructed me to assist Sgt Phungu immediately." Phungu then reportedly went straight to a box of investigative files and removed the document without recording any chain of custody.
Reflecting on these events, the associate concluded under oath that the actions were part of a premeditated operation. "The active management of the aftermath by Sgt Phungu, Gen Mphego and the others with direct political interests in the investigations Gen Mfazi was pursuing leaves me with only one conclusion… they were not merely present at the scene of a dying senior officer — they were executing a premeditated operation to seize and suppress evidence."
In response to the allegations, Mulangi Mphego strenuously denied entering Mfazi’s home or taking any files. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mphego maintained his innocence, stating, "Pitso was my friend. I am not involved. I was outside [the house]; I was scared to enter that house because of Covid. If they say I entered the house, they need to tell me when and what date because everything was taken away by [Mfazi’s] family." Mphego also denied instructing Phungu to wipe the phone, adding, "I am no longer serving. I could not have instructed Phungu to wipe a phone." Attempts to reach Sergeant Phungu for comment were unsuccessful.
As the cold case unit delves deeper into the poisoning of Lt-Gen Mfazi and the systematic disappearance of crucial files—including 2020/21 Secret Services Account records detailing an estimated R35 million in irregular losses from Covid-19 PPE procurement—the nation is left demanding answers. The intersection of high-level state corruption, covert intelligence operations, and a senior officer's suspicious death raises profound questions about accountability at the highest levels of power. The ongoing investigation promises further revelations as authorities attempt to pierce the veil of secrecy surrounding a dark chapter in South African policing.
