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

The tavern, ‘witch-hunt’ and double axing of Mzwandile Tiyo — inside another Crime Intelligence scandal
SAPS Lieutenant-General Peter Jacobs. Photo: Tracey Adams/ANA
Caryn Dolley
By Caryn Dolley
27 Jan 2025
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About a decade ago, Mzwandile Tiyo felt victimised for not being appointed the Western Cape’s Crime Intelligence boss in a saga involving high-level cop arrests. Now he’s been fired twice and is again insisting he’s being targeted.

Major General Mzwandile Tiyo, who headed Crime Intelligence in the Western Cape, was fired on 13 January – the second time in five months.

Underpinning his dismissals, which he insists are unfair, is an array of suspicions and claims of rogue policing and deep internal conflict spanning more than a decade and extending beyond the province, which is South Africa’s gangster capital.

The saga involving Tiyo, who was in the ANC’s armed wing, uMkhonto weSizwe, before 1994 and, according to News24, a bodyguard to individuals including Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, yet again highlights divisions cutting through the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The controversies also cloud the post of Crime Intelligence head in the Western Cape. It is a critical position because proactive policing is necessary in this province where gangsterism, along with serious suspicions of cop and gang collusion, is rife.

Controversial unit


Police Crime Intelligence in South Africa has a bad reputation. For example, Richard Mdluli, who headed the unit between 2009 and 2012, is now a convicted criminal facing a fraud and corruption trial.

Read more: Zuma’s legacy: The build-up to breaking down Crime Intelligence

Allegations of members of the unit looting a secret service account also persist, and on 10 January, R1.3-million was stolen from its office in the Eastern Cape when a man walked into the East London branch, claiming to visit Captain Ntombekhaya August.

He allegedly pulled out a firearm in her office and demanded money, which August apparently gave to him. She was subsequently arrested and charged with theft and defeating the ends of justice, and released on bail on Wednesday, 22 January.

As for Tiyo, the SAPS has not publicly explained what happened to him, but some details have surfaced in media reports based on leaked information, political and parliamentary press statements and in responses from his lawyer, Ian Levitt.

City Press reported in December 2023 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 theft was claimed to have taken place outside a tavern in Mbekweni, Paarl.

Mzwandile Tiyo Ian Cameron, National Assembly chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images)



A source told the newspaper: “Tiyo didn’t even open a case of theft, but used the police resources for his own benefit. They found the suspects and assaulted them until they were able to recover both the stolen laptop and the firearm.”

Tiyo, via Levitt, denied the allegations.

After that, he was fired from the SAPS in August last year, although Levitt called it a “purported” dismissal in a News24 article.

The chairperson of Parliament’s police portfolio committee, Ian Cameron, said at the time that it was “unacceptable that a law enforcement officer unilaterally abused state resources to hide their misdeeds. The fact that the state assets were stolen at a tavern point to sheer disregard for the office he holds.”



Tiyo challenged his dismissal, and in November 2024 it emerged that it had been revoked. Cameron said Tiyo had instead been encouraged to apply for early retirement.

The reversal of Tiyo’s dismissal angered the Western Cape MEC for police oversight and community safety, Anroux Marais, who said: “This is disgraceful and an insult. I am furious about Tiyo’s reinstatement, and the Western Cape government will fight his return to his post with all power at our disposal…

“If this critical policing unit is to turn itself around, the likes of Tiyo should be kept well away from the SAPS. He cannot be allowed to return. This cannot stand. We will not allow it.”

Both Marais and Cameron are from the DA, whereas Tiyo has an ANC background. In any case, the situation boomeranged.

City Press reported that Tiyo was dismissed again on 13 January.

Mzwandile Tiyo Community safety MEC Anroux Marais. (Photo: Misha Jordaan / Gallo Images)


‘Political witch-hunt’


Levitt, in a statement sent to Daily Maverick this week, portrayed Tiyo as a victim. “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,” he said.

Tiyo had “faced more than half a dozen irregularities committed by the SAPS”, including:

“Unlawfully” being transferred, at his own expense, to the police head office in Pretoria in February 2024, even though he lived in Cape Town.

A victimisation grievance of his against a senior colleague not being investigated or finalised.

A refusal to allow him to submit affidavits at a board hearing into his fitness to hold office that was convened contrary to the SAPS Act.

Advertising his post in July last year while he was still in it.

Transferring him to a branch in Cape Town on his reinstatement where “he was made to sit in an empty office with nothing to do”.

Levitt said that if the SAPS believed it had a case against Tiyo, the correct legal processes would have been followed to hold him to account. Instead, “the relevant departments delayed matters despite various pleas” from Tiyo to have them “brought to finality through the correct processes”.

“[He] has challenged these irregularities, through his appeal, which was already successful, and will be further challenging his unfair dismissal again.”

Daily Maverick asked the Western Cape police, who had filled the position of provincial head of Crime Intelligence, but was referred to the national police, who had not responded by the time of publication.

Mzwandile Tiyo Former Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer outside the Western Cape High Court on 8 February 2018. Lamoer pleaded guilty to one charge in a corruption, money laundering and racketeering trial. Lamoer, along with tow truck company owner Salim Dawjee, brigadiers Darius van der Ross, Sharon Govender and her husband Colin Govender, are accused in the trial. (Photo: Jaco Marais / Gallo Images)


Project Toffee


Tiyo’s problems in the SAPS started more than a decade ago. In May 2013, he was acting head of Crime Intelligence in the Western Cape when he registered an undercover operation codenamed “Toffee”.

The provincial head of the police at the time was Lieutenant General Arno Lamoer. It was later reported that Tiyo believed he had been blocked from the Crime Intelligence post permanently because, through Project Toffee, he was involved in investigating Lamoer in a saga that became a national scandal.

Lamoer and three senior colleagues – Darius van der Ross, Sharon Govender and her husband, Kollin Govender – were suspected of acting corruptly in accepting favours from a businessperson, Salim Dawjee.

Alternative stories did the rounds that Lamoer was investigating elements linked to Crime Intelligence. The Mail & Guardian reported that there were claims that a police audit had found that officers were part owners of a farm near Paarl that was allegedly used for operations that the state paid for. Nothing further came of those stories.

Lamoer handed himself over to the police in April 2015 and was arrested. That same month, Tiyo’s home in Paarl was raided as part of an apparent investigation into drunk driving.

Around that time, Tiyo’s then legal representative, Richard Brown, went on record saying: “We do believe that Tiyo is being treated unfairly due to his role in the collection of evidence which ultimately led to the arrest of Lamoer and others.”

In a statement predating Lamoer’s arrest, Tiyo explained that he had approached Crime Intelligence on a national level about the Lamoer saga, and a senior officer then reported the matter to the national police commissioner at the time, Riah Phiyega.

Phiyega then called Lamoer, which led to allegations that she tipped him off about investigations into him, thereby defeating the ends of justice.

The National Prosecuting Authority later declined to take this matter involving the allegations against Phiyega further.

Lamoer, two of his colleagues and Dawjee went on to be convicted. His third colleague, Sharon Govender, was acquitted.

Charl Kinnear was murdered outside his home in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town. (Photo: Noor Slamdien)


Finally appointed


In 2014, Peter Jacobs was appointed as head of Crime Intelligence in the Western Cape – the job Tiyo had wanted.

Two years later, in 2016, while involved in South Africa’s biggest investigation yet into firearm smuggling involving members of the police, Jacobs was suddenly transferred from the post. This paved the way for Tiyo to finally get what he wanted.

Read more: Crime Intelligence: Who is Major General Peter Jacobs?

But Jacobs challenged his transfer in the Labour Court and, through this process it emerged that he had received a complaint about Tiyo allegedly not having security clearance, which is needed for Crime Intelligence duties. This pointed to potential friction between Jacobs and Tiyo.

Be that as it may, Jacobs was promoted to national Crime Intelligence head in 2018, thereby becoming Tiyo’s boss.

Lieutenant Colonel Charl Kinnear, who was murdered outside his Bishop Lavis home in Cape Town in September 2020, also fits in here. He had sent a detailed letter of complaint to his bosses in December 2018.

The crux of his claims 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 also believed they were “illegally listening to my cellular telephone”. Jacobs, as national head of Crime Intelligence, labelled the group of officers a “rogue” unit.

Fast-forward a few years


Jacobs was controversially transferred from the post of national Crime Intelligence boss in 2021. Around that time, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) also made findings about why Kinnear had not been given state protection when his life had clearly been under threat.

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

Ipid also focused on Kinnear’s complaint of officers working against him and colleagues. In this regard, it later found that “there are indeed rogue activities operating in the Western Cape, particularly within the Crime Intelligence milieu”.

“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.”

This validated what Kinnear had complained about in 2018.

Ipid had also been 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 was cleared.

These are among the issues that preceded the latest Tiyo dismissal saga. And through it all, the ructions in the SAPS inevitably have an impact on policing in a province that is in desperate need of decisive organised crime crackdowns and solid law enforcement leadership.

Major General Peter Jacobs. (Photo: Tracey Adams / ANA)


Timeline of developments at Crime Intelligence


2013: Mzwandile Tiyo is acting Crime Intelligence head in the Western Cape. He registers an undercover project to investigate alleged corruption involving senior cops, including the Western Cape’s police commissioner, Arno Lamoer.

2014: Peter Jacobs is appointed Western Cape Crime Intelligence head.

2015: It emerges that Tiyo believes he was not appointed to the post in a permanent capacity because of the Lamoer saga. Lamoer hands himself over to the police and is later convicted of corruption.

2016: Jacobs, who is heading an investigation into how cops are allegedly smuggling firearms to gangsters, is suddenly transferred from the provincial Crime Intelligence boss post. Tiyo is appointed in his stead.

2018: Jacobs becomes national Crime Intelligence head. Cape Town policeman Charl Kinnear complains about officers with ties to Western Cape Crime Intelligence working to frame him and some colleagues.

2020: Kinnear is murdered.

2021: Jacobs is suddenly transferred from the post of national Crime Intelligence boss.

2022: It emerges that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate has found rogue activities in the Western Cape’s Crime Intelligence unit, which raises some concerns about Tiyo.

2023: City Press reports that a laptop and pistol were stolen from the boot of Tiyo’s car outside a tavern in Paarl and that the suspects were traced, kidnapped and assaulted. Tiyo, through his lawyer Ian Levitt, denies the allegations.

2024: Tiyo is dismissed. He successfully fights his dismissal and it is revoked.

2025: He is again dismissed. Levitt says there is a “political witch-hunt” against his client. DM

Caryn Dolley’s explosive new book, Man Alone: Mandela’s Top Cop – Exposing South Africa’s Ceaseless Sabotage, is now available in bookstores and at the Daily Maverick Shop.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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