Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has revealed that he trained President Cyril Ramaphosa as a police reservist in 1997.
O’Sullivan on Tuesday appeared before parliament’s ad-hoc committee, which is investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system.
During his testimony, O’Sullivan detailed his long-standing involvement with law enforcement, spanning his years as a volunteer SAPS police reservist from 1990 to 2002.
During this period, he completed formal detective training and served at the Booysens police station from 1991 to 1996. He received an award for making the most arrests in Johannesburg in 1994.
O’Sullivan told the committee that he lectured at the police training centre from 1993 to 2000. He claimed to have taught more than 1,500 students in subjects including police administration, crime investigation and criminal law.
“Particularly, in 1997, I also trained Ramaphosa as a reservist,” O’Sullivan said.
To support his claim, he referenced a newspaper article titled “Cyril becomes weekend warrior in Fairland”, which featured a photograph of Ramaphosa receiving an award from O’Sullivan.
At the time, Ramaphosa was named the “Most Conscientious Student” at the Houghton Reserve Police College. The photograph from the article has since circulated widely on social media.
O’Sullivan recounted a specific classroom interaction with Ramaphosa. He told the committee that he once asked Ramaphosa a question regarding constitutional rights.
“He asked me, ‘Why are you asking me?’ and I replied, ‘Because you were involved in the drafting of the constitution.’ I then asked him if he agreed with the answer [someone else provided], and he said yes.”
O’Sullivan added that at the end of the course, students received an appointment certificate designating them as police constables — a rank Ramaphosa subsequently attained.
MPs expressed scepticism regarding O’Sullivan’s teaching credentials, seeking clarity on whether he possessed formal training qualifications.
When asked directly if he held a teaching degree or specific qualification to train officers, O’Sullivan said he did not. However, he clarified that he had prepared himself extensively for the role.
“I sat with a senior lawyer and went through the constitution to understand exactly how it works for myself,” he explained. He added that he eventually completed a “train the trainer” vocational course to improve his instructional skills.
O’Sullivan said his primary focus during those training sessions was the Bill of Rights. Having Ramaphosa as a student, he noted, provided a “great opportunity to canvass these issues” with one of the constitution’s key architects.
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