Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

South Africa

South Africa, Newsdeck

‘Double axed’ Western Cape crime intelligence boss Mzwandile Tiyo summoned to court in gun theft negligence saga

‘Double axed’ Western Cape crime intelligence boss Mzwandile Tiyo summoned to court in gun theft negligence saga
Caryn Dolley
By Caryn Dolley
21 Feb 2025
Facebook
0
Former Western Cape Crime Intelligence boss Mzwandile Tiyo, who was twice apparently fired in a saga his legal representative called a ‘political witch-hunt’, is expected in court over a gun theft matter. Meanwhile, he has accused Parliament’s police committee chair Ian Cameron of defamation.

The Western Cape’s former head of Crime Intelligence, Mzwandile Tiyo, who was dismissed in a cop controversy he says has been intentionally orchestrated against him, is expected in court next month.

His pending court appearance in Cape Town relates to allegations that he left a firearm unattended in a vehicle in November 2023 – the gun was subsequently stolen.

A criminal case summons was served on Tiyo on Friday, 21 February 2025, saying he must appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court next month.

‘Summons in criminal case’


A section of the summons also alleges “the accused” contravened a section of the Firearms Control Act in that on 12 November 2023 he failed to lock away his firearm, a 9mm Pietro Baretta, at or near the Midway Mall in Mbekweni, Paarl.

It alleges that the next day, “the accused, did wrongfully and intentionally break in and enter the business premise” of an individual in Bellville

While the summons does not elaborate on this aspect, Daily Maverick understands the alleged break-in is linked to an attempt to retrieve the stolen item or items.

Tiyo has faced various controversies over several years while in the South African Police Service (SAPS), culminating in his being fired – twice.

But Tiyo, via his lawyer Ian Levitt, countered that he is the target of a dirty political plot.

Double dismissal vs witch-hunt


The dismissal saga seems to have started in 2023.

Towards the end of that year City Press reported that Tiyo and two colleagues were under investigation “for allegedly tracing, assaulting and kidnapping suspects who had stolen a laptop and a firearm from the boot of his car”. 

The reported theft was claimed to have taken place outside a tavern in Mbekweni, Paarl.

However, it turns out the alleged theft, according to the summons and other documents relating to Tito, occurred outside a mall.

Read more: The tavern, ‘witch-hunt’ and double axing of Mzwandile Tiyo — inside another Crime Intelligence scandal

Daily Maverick reported last month that Tiyo had first been fired in August 2024, although Levitt has called it a “purported” dismissal.

Tiyo had challenged that, was reinstated into the SAPS in November last year, but was then dismissed again in January this year.

Of the saga, Levitt has said: “The conduct of the SAPS towards [my client] has been nothing but a political witch-hunt, and their actions will be vigorously challenged through the appropriate forums and through the subpoenaing of witnesses and their cross-examination, through which process the truth will emerge.”

‘Defamation’


Parliament’s police committee chair, the DA’s Ian Cameron, also fits into this saga.

Tiyo recently lodged a complaint against Cameron with Parliament, relating to defamation.

Cameron was not able to immediately provide his full stance on the complaint to Daily Maverick.

But on Facebook on Friday, in a post which did not name Tiyo, he stated: “As expected, character attacks have started again coming from those implicated in serious crime and corruption. 



“These desperate tactics won’t distract or intimidate us. We remain focused on ensuring accountability and integrity in policing, without fear or favour.”

Tiyo’s complaint against Cameron related to Cameron’s comments on social media about issues involving Tiyo.

On 18 March 2024, on the platform X, Cameron posted an image of Tiyo. 



Accompanying the picture, Cameron typed, in part: “This is Major General Mzwandile Tiyo, the ex-head of [the South African Police Service - SAPS] crime intelligence in Western Cape. 

“He left his pistol and laptop in the back of his car and went into a tavern in Mbekweni in the Western Cape just a few months ago. The gun and laptop were both stolen. 

“SAPS management simply transferred him to another office in Gauteng/ National HQ. He was said to be under both internal and criminal investigations.”

Tiyo’s complaint against Cameron referenced that post, among others.

In an affidavit supporting Tiyo’s complaint, dated 11 February 2025, he said: “Mr Cameron posted his statements without satisfying himself of the true facts;

“Mr Cameron did so in order to damage my reputation and portray me as someone who would carry my state-owned property to a tavern.”

Tiyo alleged that Cameron was basically driving a vendetta against him.

And that it stemmed from before Cameron’s appointment as chair of Parliament’s police committee.

That would have been prior to July 2024.

Tiyo’s affidavit said: “Mr Cameron has … used his position as well as his influence as a public representative to deliberately victimise and defame me.”

‘Public interest’


He said that following Cameron’s social media post from March 2024, Levitt had written to Cameron asking him to remove it and to also stop “making defamatory statements” against his client.

Tiyo’s affidavit said Cameron’s legal representative replied in March saying he would “refrain from making further posts on social media regarding my service pistol and laptop until the criminal and internal investigations had been completed”.

Daily Maverick has seen a correspondence from Cameron’s legal representative, dated 20 March 2024, which added that Cameron denied making defamatory comments.

It was argued that what Cameron had posted on X had already been widely reported on in the media and “is therefore fair comment”, that it was true, and it was in the public interest.

Tiyo’s name previously cropped up in other matters.

Kinnear – complaint and killing


Some matters related to Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear, who was assassinated outside his Bishop Lavis Home in Cape Town in September 2020.

Earlier, in December 2018, Kinnear had sent a detailed letter of complaint to his bosses.

The core of his complaint was that police officers in the Western Cape, some with links to Crime Intelligence, were working to frame him and some of his colleagues. 

Kinnear had also alleged they were “illegally listening to my cellular telephone”. Peter Jacobs, as national head of Crime Intelligence, labelled the group of officers a “rogue” unit.

Read more: Rogue cop unit in the Western Cape ‘exists’ and drove divisions in the province’s police – SAPS watchdog

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) had looked into issues surrounding Kinnear.

Daily Maverick previously reported that Ipid had determined that “there are indeed rogue activities operating in the Western Cape, particularly within the Crime Intelligence milieu”.

It said: “The finding of the task team is that, if these rogue activities are allowed to continue, it has the potential to subvert the entire Western Cape police service.”

Ipid was also critical of Tiyo, saying: “His failure to acknowledge or even attempt to arrest the suspicion of a rogue unit is questionable.”

But Tiyo, Ipid found, had already been the subject of an expeditious hearing relating to matters involving Kinnear, and had been cleared. DM

Categories:

Tags: