The Western Cape Police Ombudsman report on alleged criminal gang infiltration in the provincial branch of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is expected to be released in the coming days.

Regan Thaw, the spokesperson to Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, confirmed this to SmileFM.

“A redacted version will be released in due course,” said Thaw.

It follows an interview including Premier Alan Winde and the chairperson of the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition (C4), Dr Llewellyn MacMaster, with the SABC. In that interview, Winde confirmed the release, noting the names of police and law enforcement officers mentioned in that document will remain withheld to protect their safety.  

He said the document is now with his legal team.

The years-old report was brought back into the spotlight last week, after the C4 demanded its immediate release amid ongoing and unabated gang and gun violence in parts of the province. 

The report was compiled by retired Major General Oswald Reddy more than three years ago, at the request of Premier Alan Winde, following a damning judgment by Western Cape High Court Judge Daniel Thulare, in which collusion between gangs and the top management of the SAPS was exposed. 

Despite its completion, the report had never been made public.

“So the question that we’re asking is why is this report not being released? It’s three years now. What is in that report that causes the Premier not to release it to the public?” said MacMaster in an interview with SmileFM last week.

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MacMaster said he is “outraged” that the document was still being withheld from the public, noting that this cuts to “the very heart of public distrust and the collapse of confidence in the police”. 

“The relentless shootings, brazen gang attacks and unchecked murders have turned our working-class communities into killing fields. Coupled with this is the reality that our law enforcement agencies are simply unable to deal with this crisis effectively or sustainably. And that is why the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition is now calling on the Premier to release this report,” said MacMaster.  

Premier Winde, before opting to release the document, defended his decision not to publish the findings, citing safety risks. 

He said he had been in touch with Provincial Police Commissioner, Thembisile Patekile, former Police Minister Bheki Cele and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, as well as local and international academic and criminologists, to figure out the next steps after receiving the report. At the time, Winde came to the conclusion that the report would remain unpublicised, and instead took other steps.

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“[Academics and criminologists] suggested that we implement lifestyle audits amongst the top SAPS officials in the province. We, as a province, then made this offer both to General Patakile as well as the then police minister. We even said that we would pay for these lifestyle audits. This has again been iterated to the new acting Police Minister, Professor Cachalia, to say you know that we would help with the financial side of committing to lifestyle audits,” he said. 

Winde further noted that several officers and witnesses named in the investigation were already “at risk” or had been murdered, and that the matter remained tied to ongoing criminal proceedings. 

“I do not think it’s fair on those officers who were involved in this case to make it public. I think that would be absolutely irresponsible and that’s why it has not been made public up until now,” Winde told SmileFM last week. 

MacMaster accused Premier Winde of “political hypocrisy”, citing his public criticisms of SAPS while allegedly withholding information vital to community safety. 

“Each moment of his obstinate silence is another day of blood on our streets, more families mourning their loved ones, and, most critically, a de facto mandate for the continuation of the conspiracy between law enforcement agencies and the criminal gangs and syndicates that rule our streets,” said MacMaster.  

The coalition issued an ultimatum, giving Premier Alan Winde until close of business on Friday, 7 November to release the report “in its entirety”. In its statement, it warned that failure to do so would leave it “no choice but to pursue all necessary and available means, including immediate legal action”. 

In last Friday’s interview with the SABC, Winde said he had no problem making the redacted version available, and that he had no reason to release it before, because the real investigation was being done by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and the SAPS.

While Winde maintains that his actions were guided by safety concerns and legal constraints, MacMaster insists that Cape Flats communities “deserve no less than full transparency”. 

“We are tired of political games between province, city and national. Whilst we cannot see any solutions and a clear plan in terms of fighting gangsterism and organised crime,” said MacMaster.

A query to the office of Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, regarding the possible release of the report was unanswered by the time this article was published.

*This article, originally posted on 4 November 2025, has been updated to reflect the latest on the matter.