Cape Town - The declassification of a top-secret report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has lifted the lid on the role police allegedly played in the events which led up to the assassination of detective Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear.
A decision by Ipid to release the classified report completed two years ago has drawn criticism from Kinnear’s grieving family, as they question why no action has been taken against the officers named in the report.
More than four years after the top cop was mercilessly gunned down outside his Bishop Lavis home, the report highlights the names of 10 senior cops in various units, including the Hawks, Crime Intelligence and the Anti-Gang Unit.
It tells a harrowing tale of how police failed to secure protection for the detective who was known for tackling underworld figures in Cape Town, and delves into incidents reported to the SAPS nearly a year before he was shot and killed, showing there was a threat on his life.
It details the information provided by an inmate at Helderstroom Prison, Janick Adonis, who alerted the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) about plans to murder Kinnear in November 2019.
At the time, Major-General Andre Lincoln was the commander of the AGU and directly in contact with Adonis, who was brought to the AGU base to discuss the threat.
Lincoln subsequently placed AGU officers outside Kinnear’s home, but the officers were later withdrawn due to operational requirements.
According to the report, several months later, Warrant Officer Wynand Olivier was alerted by Bradley Goldblatt, the owner of 1Track Solutions, about the activities of Zane Kilian.
Goldblatt’s company sold access to the LAD platform to Kilian, who actively pinged the numbers of Kinnear and his colleagues in September 2020. The report highlights that Olivier informed his commander, Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa, and instructed Goldblatt to continue monitoring Kilian’s activity.
But Ipid found that the Hawks had the authority to curtail Kilian’s tracking of Kinnear prior to the murder.
Two days before the murder, Goldblatt again contacted Olivier and reported that the pinging had become excessive.
Olivier contacted Lincoln, who requested that the Flying Squad conduct patrols near Kinnear’s home and a report of the threat was sent to the provincial commissioner’s office.
Ipid found that Captain Sonandzi, who was responsible for checking the emails, had not opened Lincoln’s email and recommended departmental steps be taken against her regarding the dereliction of her duties.
The report also states that while Lincoln requested the Flying Squad to patrol, no measures were put in place to show that officers followed the instructions and the vehicle tracking reports clearly showed they did not adhere to an instruction.
Shockingly, the report also states that Captain Robert van Aswegen, who worked in the AGU control room, received an anonymous call saying Kinnear would be killed but failed to relay the message to his commanders.
The report recommends criminal prosecution for defeating the ends of justice.
The report also highlights the role of the SAPS rogue unit that allegedly operated without authorisation and investigated claims by alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, against Kinnear.
The report recommends departmental steps be taken by the SAPS against Brigadier Sanjith Hansraj, Captain Nadine Britz, Captain Alfred Barker and Warrant Officer Riedwaan Titus.
Ipid also recommends that Brigadier Timothy Monyana from Crime Intelligence be charged for failing to complete the risk threat assessment for Kinnear.
And while the extensive report has been made public, it brings little solace to Kinnear’s widow, Nicolette, who says nothing has been done in the two years after the report was completed.
“The fact that the document was classified did not hinder SAPS in any way from going ahead and holding the members implicated accountable.
“Both SAPS and Ipid have been left with egg on their faces as they were holding on to this ‘classified’ document for dear life. Yet, back at the ranch, witness after witness was taking the box and mentioning the very names that they were trying to protect, so they looked like fools. Warrant Officer Olivier testified in court that my hubby’s phone was being pinged every 30 sec.
“The Hawks had more than enough proof to request a warrant of arrest; this wasn’t done. Yet General Lebeya stood up in a portfolio meeting stating he found no need for steps to be taken against his members.
“Both Ipid and SAPS should stop covering each other’s a***s and accept accountability that their negligence in ultimately keeping my husband safe enabled his murderers to get to him.”
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said they have not yet engaged with Ipid.
“The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office has not received any communication or documents with regard to what was allegedly announced at the media briefing.
“The DPP office is therefore not in a position to comment on its position until it has engaged with the Ipid.”