Mphego denies raiding Mfazi’s home and ‘stealing Phala Phala files’

Former crime intelligence boss Mulangi Mphego has denied allegations that he raided Lt-Gen Sindile Mfazi’s home after his death and stole files, including those linked to the Phala Phala investigation.

The allegation was that the files linked the scandal to the alleged misuse of SAPS Crime Intelligence funds to trace, kidnap and torture the Phala Phala burglars.

Mfazi was a deputy national commissioner who died in July 2021. His death was initially attributed to Covid-19 but later investigations, exhumation and parliamentary testimonies suggested he was poisoned while investigating high-level police corruption.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mphego said the sensationalist claims suggesting he had political links to President Cyril Ramaphosa, or any role in the alleged disappearance of Phala Phala investigation files from Mfazi’s possession, were “absolute” fabrications.

Mphego said he never had any knowledge that Mfazi was investigating the Phala Phala matter or that he held any documents related to it. He said if such files existed, he never saw them.

Mphego said he did not set foot inside Mfazi’s Pretoria house, where he died, during this entire period.

“The narrative that I cleared out his residence is a blatant, orchestrated lie. I know exactly who stripped Pitso’s house, under whose orders they operated, and exactly where his property went.”

Mphego alleged that Pitso’s estranged wife, Malindi, specifically tasked three individuals — named only as Felicia, Steve and Luyolo — to pack up Mfazi’s Pretoria house and deliver everything to her in KuGompo City (East London).

“Under Malindi’s direct orders, Felicia, Steve and Luyolo loaded Pitso’s black Mercedes-Benz bus. Steve, accompanied by Luyolo, then drove that bus straight to Malindi in East London, handing over the vehicle and its entire contents directly to her.”

Mphego said any documents Mfazi possessed would have been packed into the bus and delivered to Malindi.

“That is exactly where investigators must probe.”

He said his sole involvement that day was responding to a distress call from Steve.

“He contacted me for help, explaining that he was being placed under intense pressure by Malindi to drive Luyolo to the Polo factory shops en route to East London — using a bus filled with a deceased man’s belongings just to buy Luyolo clothes.

“Steve explicitly told me he felt this behaviour was vile and indecent. He begged me to prevail on Malindi and Luyolo to abandon their disrespectful frolic.”

Mphego said he was there to protect and support a bullied, conflicted individual — not to manipulate evidence.

Mphego also said he held no brief for Ramaphosa or any individual associated with the Phala Phala debacle.

“I completely reject any sickening attempt to link my name to the alleged sordid actions.”

Mphego said while he served in the Presidency between 2018 and 2023, he was explicitly deployed as the special adviser in the deputy president’s office, under Deputy President David Mabuza.

Mphego said Mfazi was his best friend and his death struck him as a devastating blow.

“I demand nothing less than a rigorous, uncompromised and formal criminal investigation into the allegations that (Mfazi) was murdered.”

Mphego said he had already launched aggressive legal action against specific social media platforms and “the coward digital assassins” who masqueraded under fake identities to peddle these defamatory falsehoods.

“I know exactly who you are. See you in court.”

Sunday World reported that Mphego had obtained an order barring a number of social media accounts from claiming that he, Mphego, “raided, unlawfully entered, searched, interfered with or removed any item from the late Lt-Gen SC Mfazi’s home”.

The court also restrained the accounts from claiming that Mphego “stole, removed, concealed or interfered with files, records, documents or alleged Phala Phala-related documents from Mfazi’s home”.

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