PRETORIA - As confusion over the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption's (IDAC) decision to abort the arrest of two senior crime intelligence officers grows, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said a war is brewing.
Mkhwanazi was speaking outside the Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria on Thursday, where Crime Intelligence Head Dumisani Khumalo was called in with reports that he had been arrested alongside another high ranking official.
READ | Crime intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo arrested
But as the day ended, the two drove out of the station with reasons behind the failure to execute the warrants unclear.
"We are facing a war and there are many players in this game," Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi claimed he and Khumalo received intelligence on Wednesday that IDAC had itself 48 hours to get the pair behind bars.
“I did not believe that intelligence when it came. And today, when General Khumalo called me, saying what we received yesterday is really happening, I thought I should come here," he said.
On Thursday afternoon, eNCA reported that Khumalo was arrested and processed at the station.
However, shortly afterwards, IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame released a statement refuting the arrest of Khumalo alongside a high-ranking official.
According to another earlier eNCA report, Khumalo’s lawyer, James Ndebele, said his client received a call on Thursday to present himself at the police station for an arrest.
READ | Dumisani Khumalo's lawyer claims IDAC has 'agenda'
He said it was not clear what the charges related to. However, upon arrival, there was a turn of events.
Mkhwanazi maintains that they are clueless about the arrests
“There's nothing that we are investigating that involves them,” he said.