National Treasury calls top cop Khehla Sitole to heel over R100m spy tech splurge

Treasury has demanded answers from top cop Khehla Sitole after the police splurged more than R100m on shadowy spy equipment that they cannot use – raising the spectre of massive fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

News24 revealed that the Police’s Crime Intelligence Division had paid R102m for “precise mobile detection equipment”, also known as “grabbers” – devices capable of intercepting cellphone calls and messages – which have been gathering dust in a warehouse for more than a year. 

The scandal comes at a time when the police’s budget was slashed by more than R3bln – with the state’s financial position hobbled by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The budget for the Crime Intelligence Division was cut by R89m for the year to come, Police Minister Bheki Cele told Parliament last month.