Sunday Times reports that Lieutenant-General Samson Shitlabane, head of protection services for the president, has been removed after two incidents allegedly compromised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s safety.

The president’s security is now in the hands of Major-General Wally Rhoode, who has been accused of mishandling the Phala Phala farm robbery case. The intensifying row between the top cops saw Shitlabane left out of the presidential security plans around the State of the Nation Address (Sona) in Cape Town last week. Shitlabane, who has since been transferred to another policing unit, is challenging his removal internally. Ramaphosa’s security was allegedly first “compromised” during the ANC’s Nasrec elective conference last year December. There were apparently two separate lists of officers placed on duty to guard the president and VIPs at Nasrec and also for Sona – one compiled by Rhoode and the other by Shitlabane. Both groups were deployed to both venues. At Nasrec, more than 40 protection officers were involved. It was reported last month that a fight between senior protection services members ended in charges of intimidation being laid against counter-assault team commander Brigadier Mbulelo Mbiko by Lieutenant-Colonel Chantal Sias, who led the presidential convoy.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thanduxolo Jika & Amanda Khoza at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)

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