Major-General Pat Mokushane has been fired from his position as acting head of crime intelligence.

The letter of termination, seen by News24, was signed by acting national police commissioner Lesetja Mothiba, and was dated one day after Mothiba conceded to Parliament that Mokushane did not have security clearance and that he was being investigated for running his own business from work.

The termination was signed last Thursday, August 17, and was with immediate effect.

"This letter serves to inform you that the acting appointment of Major-General PM Mokushane as the Divisional Commissioner: Crime Intelligence has been terminated with immediate effect."

Last week, News24 reported that the infighting and accusations at the police crime intelligence unit had intensified following a fallout over Mokushane's lack of security clearance.

The police portfolio committee had heard that Mokushane had served an invalid suspension on the police officer who informed Mothiba that he had been misled about Mokushane's clearance.

Furthermore, it was revealed that the brigadier who ordered the security clearance certificate for Mothiba be printed, did work for him, even though she was appointed elsewhere.

In a series of articles soon after Mokushane's appointment, City Press revealed that he had a criminal record, allegedly ran his private companies from his office, and had had an affair with a subordinate officer's wife.

He denied the allegations.

The paper said Mokushane was found guilty in 2002 of violating the National Road Traffic Act and, in 1993, was arrested for possession of suspected stolen property.

R50 000 transferred into account

The paper also revealed that crime intelligence's head of counter and security intelligence Major-General Dumezweni Zimu had written the letter revealing that Mokushane and two senior colleagues - Brigadier Leonara Bamuza-Phetlhe and Brigadier VVV Mazwi - had obtained their top security clearance certificates in an "unprocedural, unlawful and fraudulent" manner.

Zimu stated that Bamuza-Phetlhe had ordered that the clearance certificates be printed on June 30, despite Mokushane still having to submit outstanding information to the vetting team, and that the security vetting panel had not met to consider his application.

In issuing the order that the certificates be printed, Zimu recommended that Bamuza-Phetlhe be criminally charged or internally disciplined and that the inspector-general of intelligence investigate her.

"Brigadier (Bamuza) Phetlhe must be temporarily transferred or suspended with immediate effect pending the finalisation of these serious matters," Zimu wrote, adding that she "should not be exposed to the sensitive crime-intelligence environment until her security competence is confirmed".

Zimu's letter also referred to R50 000 transferred to Bamuza-Phetlhe's bank account - in contravention of Treasury stipulations - when she was tasked with getting refreshments for a three-day police conference.

News24 had learnt that after Zimu wrote to Mothiba, revealing all of these irregularities, Bamuza-Phetlhe laid a grievance, got a protection order, and opened a case against Zimu for allegedly threatening her life.

'Ongoing spats'

In one letter to Mokushane and Mothiba on July 30, Bamuza-Phetlhe said she was writing to them to update them on the "ongoing spats" within the division.

These spats, she wrote, had great potential to undermine the mandate of the crime intelligence division and the SAPS; as well as frustrating personnel to the extent that the intelligence division would be deemed "dysfunctional" or be "compromised".

Bamuza-Phetlhe also claimed in the letter that Zimu had allegedly threatened her in a phone call he made to her on July 8.

She also mentioned the R50 000 paid into her account for the conference, pointing out that it "baffled her" that she was supposed to receive this large amount of money in hand to pay for all the expenses.

"This brought to mind that the desire for me to carry such would have opened an opportunity for assassination," she said.

Mokushane then issued Zimu with the "invalid" suspension letter that Mothiba had referred to in Parliament. Mokushane also told Zimu he was prohibited from leaving Gauteng.

Mothiba told Parliament that Lieutenant-General Jimmy Ledwaba, provincial police commissioner of Limpopo, was appointed to investigate the allegations against Mokushane, and that the State Security Agency would take over the matter of his security clearance.