In the opinion piece published by the Mail & Guardian on 28 April 2026 titled “JP Smith, the DA and Cape Town’s criminal underworld: The Black Books, the R8 billion tender shadow and why the Madlanga commission must come to Cape Town“, Faiez Jacobs writes as though JP Smith is concerned about testifying at the Madlanga Commission. The opposite is true. He has repeatedly requested the opportunity to give evidence and speak at the commission, particularly as the raid on his office has already been found by the court to be illegal, invalid and unconstitutional.
The raid was clearly a political hit job and members of the South African Police Service have confirmed that SAPS officials even travelled to the home of Minister Senzo Mchunu to brief him on their plans. We will now never know if he was being briefed of on or was influencing or steering their actions. But the political theatrics did not end there, with continuous leaks to politicians and sections of the media, including News24, the same publication Faiez references.
JP Smith stands ready to unpack all of this because for far too long, the African National Congress has abused the police service for political gain, a reality laid bare by the Madlanga Commission. Smith and the Democratic Alliance (DA) welcome every arrest that may arise from the Commission’s work. It is about accountability, cleaning up the very criminal justice system that politicians like Faiez helped destroy.
Faiez now speaks about safety, but where was that concern when he campaigned alongside Jacob Zuma, the central figure in state capture, under whose leadership the police and criminal justice system were weakened to protect corruption and enable looting? The DA has also demonstrated its commitment to improving safety in 2025 by supporting the upcoming Gang Violence Parliamentary Inquiry, set to begin in May. This is an important step, although one can expect the ANC to attempt to deflect responsibility and shift blame onto the City rather than confront its own failures.
This inquiry presents an opportunity to put the facts on the table: why gang violence remains out of control, and how the ANC’s handling of the criminal justice system continues to fail the people of Cape Town.
Why we are seeing historically low gang convictions, illegal firearm convictions and why the ANC’s police service is incapable of finding the source of illegal firearms flowing into our Country. In the past two years over 10 000 arrests were made for illegal firearms and ammunition yet the source cannot be found.
Faiez’s piece reads like it was lifted straight from the ANC’s handbook. So let’s deal in facts:
• JP handed over evidence provided by Human Settlements officials against Malusi Booi to both the Speaker of Council and SAPS.
• He was instrumental in establishing and resourcing the SSIU/SSIMS, which helped expose Ralph Stanfield’s attempts to secure City tenders and led to his companies being blacklisted nationally.
• These efforts were actively resisted by the ANC, the GOOD Party, and elements within SAPS. GOOD leader De Lille even tried to shut the unit down while she was Mayor to prevent it from undertaking investigations.
• He called for action against a City staff member once it emerged that the individual was related to Nicole Johnson.
• He was warned in December of a coordinated smear campaign involving political office bearers and certain police officials and was provided with recordings of related discussions.
• The Speaker of Cape Town, along with his legal representatives, wrote to SAPS on multiple occasions offering full cooperation with any investigation.
• The attempt to damage Smith’s reputation was based on allegations without evidence.
• Subsequent evidence has pointed to a long-standing ANC-linked contractor as the likely “JP” referenced in the so-called ledgers.
This information was handed to SAPS nearly a year ago, with little to no progress, something South Africans have unfortunately come to expect.
This was a desperate, and frankly distasteful, attempt by Faiez to deflect from the deepening crisis within the ANC, now exposed by the Madlanga Commission. The extent to which political interests have compromised SAPS and enabled criminal networks is becoming increasingly clear. No amount of attempts at deflection will change that.
The fact that South Africa is now on its fourth National Police Commissioner without a completed term speaks volumes about the instability and political interference that has hollowed out the criminal justice system, a system that should be protecting South Africans, not failing them.
Bring on the Madlanga Commission. Unlike those who rely on rhetoric and misdirection, the DA is ready to deal with the facts. While others spread misinformation, we will continue fighting for the safety and well-being of our residents.
Yours faithfully,
Nicholas Gotsell
Faiez Jacobs writes as though JP Smith is concerned about testifying at the Madlanga Commission. The opposite is true
