‘SAPS saved 2010 World Cup,’ says Cele, overlooking a little corruption matter involving R60m

Giving evidence on Thursday, 23 October at Parliament’s ad hoc committee into police graft, former police minister Bheki Cele asked South Africans to take a moment, bow their heads and thank the SA Police Service (SAPS) and General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi (in particular) for “saving the 2010 World Cup”.

He seems to have overlooked the fact that the SAPS defrauded taxpayers out of R60-million in inflated costs relating to the international tournament.

SAPS graft

The former KZN head of the Hawks, Johan Booysen, who was investigating corruption within the SAPS, told the Zondo Commission that he noticed “odd and suspicious” transactions in the SAPS supply chain management in April 2010.

Read more: The 2010 Soccer World Cup led to massive fraud and corruption within law enforcement agencies – Johan Booysen

Several hungry bottom-feeders attracted by the whiff of corruption washed up. One was KwaZulu-Natal businessman Thoshan Panday, a close associate of Edward Zuma, son of SA’s then president, Jacob Zuma.

Panday is facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering relating to multimillion-rand fraud attached to the SAPS corruption teat.

Read more: Only God can help the State’s case, says World Cup graft-accused Thoshan Panday

He has appeared in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban alongside co-accused family members, former KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni, SAPS Colonel Navin Madhoe and former police captain Aswin Narainpershad in connection with the R60-million fraud, corruption and money laundering case, which has been plagued by adjournments.

The case is loaded with former SAPS officials, you will notice.

Generals in Zurich

On Thursday, Cele gave a vivid and engaging account to the parliamentary committee of how the country’s generals, including Mkhwanazi, were galvanised by news that “there was a problem” — the World Cup was “being taken away from South Africa”.

The South African Football Association (Safa) head, Danny Jordaan, called and asked to meet Cele “immediately”, he told committee members. The Fifa secretary-general, Jérôme Valcke, was at the meeting, where he was formally informed of the situation.

Typically, England had complained. Germany immediately put up its eager, prepared hand, and Australia, of course, offered to host, as Cele set out events.

“To be honest, the nation does not know the South African Police Service saved 2010…

“Without us going there to make a presentation, there would have been no World Cup.”

Cele spoke of rounding up a team of generals and top brass, including André Pruis and Mkhwanazi, who flew to Zurich, Switzerland, to give a sizzling hot presentation on “the Cats [Counter-Assault Teams], the NIU [National Intervention Unit], the TRT [Tactical Response Teams], known as ‘amaberete’… all the task teams.”

Even Interpol was approached to back South Africa in assuring the world that crime here was not a problem.

The ubiquitous Mr Jordaan

At the time, of course, we were unaware that Jordaan had allegedly slipped a $10-million bribe to Fifa’s Jack Warner to swing the vote for South Africa to host the 2010 event.

That bubble was pricked in 2015.

We even wheeled out the father of democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela, to plead on our behalf. Mandela’s was “soft power” while Jordaan’s was more of a hard cash approach.

Read more: Nelson Mandela’s global reach made him the ultimate symbol of individual soft power

Jordaan is still making the rounds, most recently facing three charges of theft alongside Safa CFO Gronie Hluyo — until the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew them in February.

However, Hluyo and Jordaan still face three charges of fraud and another of conspiracy to commit fraud, amounting to just over R1.1-million.

Read more: Danny Jordaan’s fraud case delayed further, following another postponement

This is in relation to services rendered by Grit Communications to allegedly polish the public perception of Jordaan after he was accused in 2024 of rape by the former ANC MP Jennifer Ferguson. Various other charges relating to irregularities at Safa are on the menu.

It’s been a long walk to accountability.

Ghosts of the vuvuzela

Okay, just to lift the mood before we part, let us close our eyes to recall a more unsullied time in South Africa (before 2015/16, when a few shocks awaited us). To do this, we must enter a parallel universe.

Compartmentalise, while you linger on fond memories of afternoons in front of the television with friends and family, or in a stadium in 2010 when the world’s finest came to South Africa to play the Beautiful Game.

We vuvuzelaed ourselves silly, braaied up a cholesterol frenzy and drank 1,000 x 1,000 brews. We speculated, we bet on our faves. Remember?

The hangover, however, was bad. DM