The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Tuesday disputed reports that charges of treason and conspiracy to murder had been laid against the organisation’s head, Robert McBride, former Gauteng Hawks boss Shadrack Sibiya, suspended crime intelligence agent Captain Candice Coetzee, and private investigator Paul O’Sullivan.

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The police watchdog organisation’s spokesperson Moses Dlamini said a report by Mail & Guardian on Tuesday claiming that an affidavit had been submitted to Bedfordview police on Monday by Gauteng Hawks boss Major-General Prince Mokotedi against them was meant to mislead the public.

Mokotedi reportedly alleged that McBride‚ Sibiya and O’Sullivan conspired to murder him and Hawks boss Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza.

He accused them of planning to use information gathered on President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzani Zuma, “to mobilise the community to revolt and pressure the president to quit office”, according to the report.

Dlamini told The Times that Ip

id wasn’t concerned about the report as far as the veracity of its allegations was concerned.

“The concern is that people in high office are going to this extent to falsely implicate people in wrongdoing.

“It is the same pattern that we have seen since the rendition saga began. It is being repeated by the very same characters‚” Dlamini said.

Other allegations apparently contained in Mokotedi’s affidavit include that McBride‚ Sibiya and O’Sullivan wanted to “destabilise the security forces of the country and to oust the president of the country through popular revolt”.

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Mokotedi also alleged that the Zimbabwean rendition debacle over which McBride and former Hawks boss Anwa Dramat have been accused was the genesis of the alleged “conspiracy”.

Last week Wednesday, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko told parliament’s portfolio committee on police there were a number of “sinister attempts” to tarnish the police’s work, which was concerning but not surprising.

He claimed that right-wing NGOs and other individuals were behind an “orchestrated attempt” to destabilise the police.

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