‘Rogue police spies’ threaten Mbalula’s life, plan to use ‘young women’ to ‘trap’ him

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula’s life is reportedly in danger after receiving death threats from rogue police spies who are apparently not happy with how the minister has been conducting his business.

City Press is reportedly in possession of a report of a registered undercover operation called Project Wonder, which Mbalula is also in possession of, that involves rogue agents and officers from the police’s crime intelligence unit, the Hawks and the SAPS.

The report contains information detailing illegal cellphone taps on five ministers and plans to plant evidence against Mbalula to get him fired. One of the ways to get him fired is reportedly to use “young women” to “trap” him and his senior staff.

The police minister made headlines following his affair with a Joburg model, who ran to the papers claiming she was carrying Mbalula’s child. Though the minister admitted he had an affair with her at the time, he denied impregnating her.

There have not been reports of the minister chasing women other than his wife since.

The minister is reportedly taking the threats so seriously that his key staff and their immediate families are being guarded around the clock by officers of the police’s VIP protection unit.

They have also reportedly been told not to sleep at the same location for more than two days at a time.

The minister reportedly confirmed to City Press that the threats were real.

“We can’t allow rogue [behaviour] in the police and they are trying to divert us from the task at hand. We are focused on the job that we have been assigned by the president and the ANC.

“I was aware of these things these past weeks; there has been a lot of activity. I know that I have been followed and so on … but I can assure you that we will put a stop to it,” Mbalula was quoted as saying.

According to the publication, among other things it seems the police minister is receiving a backlash from officers loyal to suspended police bosses – former Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza and former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.

The minister was reportedly also instrumental in reversing the promotion of several top police officers who had criminal records. He also questioned the purchase of radios for the police’s presidential protection unit, which allegedly do not work, and 300 personal computers, without following proper procurement processes.

Acting national commissioner of the SAPS Lesetja Mothiba has, through his spokesperson, Major General Sally de Beer, declined to to comment on the “so-called Project Wonder”, but rejected any suggestion of complicity contained in the report as “spurious, baseless and utterly untruthful”.

Phahlane reportedly denied he was part of any conspiracy against Mbalula, saying he had not even seen the report.

Ntlemeza said the report and its contents were “rubbish”, telling the publication he had never seen it.