IPID Is Not Serious About Releasing Phala Phala Report

The latest response by IPID, seeking an extension on ActionSA’s demand for the release of its Phala Phala investigation report, shows that either the Police Minister, Feroz Cachalia, misled Parliament when he stated that the report had been declassified, or that IPID is choosing to defy the Minister. The continued refusal by IPID to supply the investigation report, in response to our most recent legal representations, suggests that there may be a deeper issue.

The IPID report into the conduct of the Presidential Protection Unit’s investigation of the Phala Phala robbery was declassified in early February, following sustained pressure from ActionSA, which had been advocating for the release of the report for nearly a year. The interim Minister of Police, Feroz Cachalia, indicated at the time that a formal PAIA application would need to be submitted to request access to the report. Despite this public assurance, IPID is still refusing to release it.

Now, a month later, IPID appears to be employing Stalingrad tactics to prevent the release of this report. This raises the question: if the report is declassified, on what basis is IPID still withholding it, and why does the Police Minister not simply order its release? What is contained in IPID’s report that South Africans are not meant to know, and who does it implicate?

IPID’s report represents the final avenue in the Phala Phala matter. Whitewashed findings have emerged from various government institutions, many of which appeared eager to absolve the President of having millions of rand in undisclosed foreign currency concealed in his furniture. Similarly, parties once in opposition, now part of the GNU, have been noticeably silent on the matter. The IPID investigation remains the last opportunity for accountability, particularly regarding the conduct of members of the Presidential Protection Unit, who were found by the Public Protector to have acted outside their legal prescripts in investigating the robbery at the President’s farm.

ActionSA has written to the Minister of Police to seek clarity on why IPID continues to refuse to act on PAIA applications, despite his assertion that the report has been declassified. Either the Minister was not candid with the South African public when he made that claim, or IPID is deliberately disregarding the Minister’s declaration. Either scenario raises serious concerns that warrant answers.

ActionSA, in its role as an unofficial opposition in Parliament, will continue to hold this expansive GNU government to account for perpetuating an inherited culture of corruption, policy inconsistency and a failure to deliver meaningful change. Recent developments suggest that this GNU is intent on shielding the President, much like previous ANC-majority governments.

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