Dr Maumela Defends Arrested Lieutenant General
Controversial Bishop Dr Azwihangwi Maumela has lashed out at the authorities following the dramatic arrest of a senior South African Police Service (SAPS) Lieutenant General, calling the allegations fabricated and describing the enforcement team’s actions as “witchcraft”.
The 59-year-old high-ranking police official was taken into custody at an establishment in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Monday night.
The arrest, executed by the Commission’s Recommendations Task Team (CRTT), is related to serious sexual offence allegations, including the sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl and the rape of an 18-year-old woman.
Speaking to journalists outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, Dr Maumela—who was dining with the General at the time—strongly rejected claims that they were at the venue for illicit entertainment.
He clarified that they were simply there for food during a birthday celebration, explicitly dismissing any narratives linking them to watching unclothed dancers.
“We were just there to eat. We did not go there to look at women dancing naked,” Maumela stated defensively.
He added that the General was so relaxed during the dinner that he initially thought the arriving police officers were playing a practical joke.
Maumela further alleged that the arrest is part of a broader, orchestrated political plot tied to internal SAPS power dynamics.
According to him, the charges are a targeted attempt to derail his friend ahead of an upcoming succession battle for the next National Police Commissioner.
Warning of political retaliation, Maumela stated that those behind the arrest are acting like “witches” out to destroy the General’s career.
SAPS Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has welcomed the arrest, reiterating that no individual, regardless of rank or seniority, is above the law.
