The Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety Department says it will be exploring alternative options, in a bid to get to the bottom of alleged gang infiltration in the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the province.

In October last year, Judge Thulare of the Western Cape High Court – while presiding over a case involving alleged gang members – stated that there appeared to be unsavoury links between police officers and members of the so-called 28’s gang.

The judgement read that “evidence suggests not only a capture of some lower ranking officers in the SAPS, [but also] that the senior management of the SAPS in the province has been penetrated to the extent that the 28 gang has access to the table where the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in the Western Cape sits with his senior managers”.

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The Western Cape Police Ombud and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) were tasked with further investigations into the matter.

But Community Safety MEC, Reagan Allen says he’s not received feedback on IPID’s investigations to date, despite its commitment to provide that on a continuous basis.

“Their silence has and continues to be deafening, suspicious and highly problematic. I want to believe that they are not seeking to withhold information about their findings, if any. It is wholly problematic that IPID has chosen to remain quiet, which can only be described as deliberate.”

He further noted that he refuses to the leave this matter unattended, and is looking to other options to get the bottom of the alleged corruption. What exactly those alternatives are, are not being divulged at this stage.

“Wherever any form of corruption is found, criminal charges should be instituted and those accused should also stand trial. We cannot have our residents, who are already living under difficult circumstances due to gang activities, also being victimised by corrupt individuals, masquerading in blue uniforms.”