IPID searches Hawks officer's home and workplace in South Africa — Daily Maverick
In South Africa, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) on October 9 conducted searches at the home and workplace of Hawks Lieutenant Colonel Dinyadalan “Dina” Govender. The investigative actions followed testimony before the Madlanga Commission concerning the possible use of the Hawks team he headed against a tow-truck operator described as the alleged leader of a rival group.
As Daily Maverick reports, an IPID spokesperson confirmed the execution of a search warrant at the premises of a Hawks employee and said the investigation was ongoing. The publication also reported that several electronic devices were reportedly seized during the searches.
Testimony about the 2023 shooting
On August 12, Len John, IPID's deputy director of investigations in KwaZulu-Natal province, told the commission that criminals may have infiltrated the Hawks cash-in-transit robbery investigation team headed by Govender. His testimony concerned a 2023 shooting in which five people were killed, including tow-truck operator Bevan Loftus.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
According to John, there were preliminary grounds to believe that Govender deployed the team at the request of Clive Naicker, the alleged leader of a group linked to drugs and vehicle towing, to kill Loftus. John described Loftus as the alleged leader of a rival group. These claims are the subject of an investigation and are not an established fact.
Questions over cash deposits
During cross-examination on August 31, 2026, the commission also examined cash transactions in Govender's accounts. According to data presented by advocate Matthew Chaskalson, 3,050,574 rand in cash passed through his accounts from August 2022 to December 2023.
In particular, on August 31, 2022, Govender made 37 separate deposits of 10,000 rand each through ATMs, totalling more than 300,000 rand in approximately an hour. He said the money for purchasing property had been provided by his mother-in-law. The commission's chair, Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, called the explanation nonsensical, while commission advocate Sandile Khumalo suggested that the transactions could show signs of money laundering.
