Bejani Chauke approached me for advice on appointment of police commissioner, O’ Sullivan tells Ad-hoc committee.

The parliamentary inquiry into alleged interference and corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS) has cast renewed attention on the unusual intersections between forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan and President Cyril Ramaphosa, following testimony that links the two men across different periods of South Africa’s democratic era. O’Sullivan, appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee chaired by ANC MP Soviet Lekganyane, disclosed under oath that he had been approached by Bejani Chauke, then special adviser to Ramaphosa, for advice on appointing a national police commissioner in 2022. I have to tell the truth because I swore to tell the truth,” O’Sullivan told MPs.

“He informed me that they were looking to appoint a permanent appointee. They asked for informal advice.” The approach came after former national commissioner Khehla Sithole’s tenure effectively ended in February 2022, following a legal dispute with the President over his suspension and fitness to hold office. A settlement agreement between the Presidency and Sithole brought his term to an early conclusion.

The disclosure follows an earlier account by O’Sullivan that he had, years ago,“I was approached by Bejani Chauke. I have to tell the truth because I swore to tell the truth,”According to O’Sullivan, participants in the course were issued certificates designating them as police constables, a rank Ramaphosa subsequently attained. Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader and key negotiator in South Africa’s constitutional transition, has served as President since 2018 and holds constitutional authority to appoint the national commissioner of police.

[paywall]

O’Sullivan has positioned himself in the hearings as a whistleblower confronting corruption at senior levels of SAPS. He has accused certain police generals of being “rogue” and alleged conduct warranting imprisonment. His critics, however, have questioned his affiliations and influence.

During the same session, O’Sullivan confirmed that he is a member of AfriForum, a lobby group known for litigation and advocacy on governance and policing matters. “Absolutely, I do. I am a member of AfriForum,” he said when questioned by Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo.

Nomvalo also questioned O’Sullivan about his 2017 arrest on charges including allegedly impersonating officials linked to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). The charges were later withdrawn. O’Sullivan denied that he had been meeting AfriForum at the time of his arrest, stating he had been visiting his attorney and that AfriForum’s offices were located next door.

Chauke, who managed Ramaphosa’s 2017 CR17 ANC presidential campaign and later served as his special adviser, has previously faced public scrutiny due to his proximity to executive decision-making. He has denied allegations of wrongdoing in various political controversies, including claims linked to internal ANC dynamics and the Phala Phala farm scandal.

[/paywall]