JOHANNESBURG - Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has criticised the handling of arrest warrants involving senior officers.
Cachalia claims he was not informed of the plans for the arrest despite the officials occupying critical roles in law enforcement.
READ | Khumalo, Masondo challenge IDAC after aborted arrests
His comments follow a formal complaint filed by Crime Intelligence Head Dumisani Khumalo and Major-General Nozipho Madondo over their abortive arrests.
They filed the complaint with the Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Andy Mothibi.
" Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) is an investigative and prosecutorial structure independent of the police. They don't act on my instructions, and they certainly don't act on the instructions of the Minister of Justice either.
“But I can say that neither the Minister of Justice nor I was informed about what was reported in the newspapers and in the media about planned arrests of General Mkhwanazi and General Khumalo, who's head of crime intelligence," Cachalia said.
Last week, IDAC confirmed that arrest warrants had been issued for the two in connection with alleged fraud and corruption. KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was also called in along with the two.
Cachalia insists that he should have been notified of the arrest.
"I didn't receive the news happily that they were about to arrest these two senior police officers, who are needed in the fight against crime, organised crime, and to keep the country safe. The way in which that happened was not right."