JOHANNESBURG - Forensic investigator Chad Thomas has questioned whether the criminal case against senior crime intelligence officer Colonel Ismail Dawood is being used to reinforce a negative narrative about the division.
Dawood handed himself over to police in Johannesburg after facing charges of assault, intimidation and extortion of approximately R3.5 million.
Dawood claimed the case is a private dispute and not linked to his work in the police.
READ | Crime Intelligence officer Ismail Dawood remanded in custody
Speaking on the case, Thomas pointed to Dawood's arrest and how it has been portrayed publicly.
"It's a very strange situation and it's somewhat of a telenovela, but it's a telenovela that has a bit of tragedy intertwined in this," he said.
He said if this signals a factional fight between crime intelligence and everyone else heading it, it plays out to the detriment of the people of the country.
“This is simply because the factional fighting is continuing. We thought once the July 6th press of 2025 had come out with General Mkhwanazi that we would see an easing up of this factionalism.
And that we would see the ad hoc and Madlanga Commission sort these issues out, and perhaps we'd get back to normal policing. But instead, it has intensified this factionalism.
Thomas said the country is witnessing rivals within the police fighting against one another, trying to get the upper hand and have control of the narrative.
He said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) needs to take a firm stance to ensure that crime fighting agenting's fight crime instead of each other.
"If the NPA is being used as a vehicle to issue warrants of arrest and to enroll these cases, they must look at these cases first and determine whether or not they are a result of factionalism...
"The NPA has the responsibility to us, to the police, the complainant as well as to the accused to be able to vet dockets before they jump the gun, issue warrants of arrest and proceed in the enrolling of cases," he said.