A Cape Town police station head is facing accusations of failing to ensure the proper control of firearms after 15 of them could not be accounted for. This is not the first time a problem involving guns, suspected cop failings, and the same police station has cropped up. In the latest saga, 15 firearms linked to the Mitchells Plain police station in Cape Town effectively went missing, presumably in November 2023. A South African Police Service (SAPS) officer has been arrested in connection with the case, and Brigadier Jan Alexander, who was the head of police in Mitchells Plain, has been temporarily transferred to lead another station in Cape Town. According to the SAPS, Alexander’s move is part of a broader plan that is in the interest of service delivery.
Past cover-up concerns have been raised, as about seven years ago, 15 handguns went missing from the Mitchells Plain police station’s community service centre, and a group of SAPS officers faced extreme action including suspensions and dismissals, but they were all later cleared. It has been suggested that those officers were being framed and were “fall guys” as part of a cover-up to protect other cops.
The new scandal is particularly messy, aside from the same police station being linked to apparent underhanded gun issues, as the SAPS does not appear to have proactively alerted the public to the fact that firearms could not be accounted for – and these could have been used in crimes. This is especially concerning since the Western Cape is South Africa’s gangsterism capital and parts of Mitchells Plain are gang hotspots.
News about the latest 15 firearms linked to Mitchells Plain started surfacing via the media in January 2024. In February, the DA’s Ockert Terblanche submitted parliamentary questions to Police Minister Bheki Cele about the firearms that “were allegedly used during the commitment of serious crimes”. At the end of February, in response, Cele said a police officer “took 15 firearms and eight imitation firearms to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Plattekloof for analysis; however, the firearms were not booked in at the FSL and the acknowledgment receipt from the FSL was not returned to the Mitchells Plain Police station.”
An official SAPS report relating to alleged misconduct, dated 21 February 2024, alleged that for a period between 2022 and 2023, Alexander may have contravened a regulation. The document said media reports about the scandal had a negative impact on the SAPS.
Another SAPS communication, dated 12 March 2024, states that the Western Cape police commissioner decided to temporarily transfer Alexander pending the finalisation of a disciplinary hearing. Alexander was to be temporarily placed at Cape Town’s Bellville police station as acting station commander.
The South African Police Service (SPS) in the Western Cape has made changes to the leadership of several police stations in the province to improve service delivery and address the ever-changing policing sphere. The move of personnel is part of a management monitoring and evaluation process, with the aim of bringing about long-term benefits, including crime reduction, to several policing precincts. The replacement of the station commander of Mitchells Plain falls within this process.
The Mitchells Plain police station has been the subject of several firearms issues, including a 2017 incident where 15 handguns went missing from the station's community service centre. Five police officers were dismissed and Brigadier Cass Goolam, who was once the station's commander, was suspended. The five officers and Goolam were cleared of wrongdoing.
A Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council arbitration award relating to the five officers stated that senior officers are often involved in underworld activities, a worrying factor that goes against the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The arbitration award also mentioned that the September 2020 murder of detective Charl Kinnear may have been linked to the Mitchells Plain missing firearms saga. Kinnear was part of the Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit and had been investigating fellow officers in Gauteng regarding firearm matters.
The Mitchells Plain police station has been the subject of several firearms issues, including a 2017 incident where 15 handguns went missing from the station's community service centre. Five police officers were dismissed and Brigadier Cass Goolam, who was once the station's commander, was suspended. The five officers and Goolam were cleared of wrongdoing.
A Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council arbitration award relating to the five officers stated that senior officers are often involved in underworld activities, a worrying factor that goes against the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The arbitration award also mentioned that the September 2020 murder of detective Charl Kinnear may have been linked to the Mitchells Plain missing firearms saga. Kinnear was part of the Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit and had been investigating fellow officers in Gauteng regarding firearm matters.
