Former top cop Major-General Andre Lincoln says he was threatened with disciplinary action for providing police protection at the home of slain detective Charl Kinnear.
This was revealed at the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday as the ex-Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) boss returned to the stand to testify on the events which led up to the grenade attack and murder of Kinnear in 2020.
His testimony comes weeks after Warrant Officer Wynand Olivier, who is based at the Hawks Crimes Against the State Unit in Gauteng, told the court that two days before Kinnear was shot and killed outside his Bishop Lavis home, he had received a call from Bradley Goldblatt of 1Track Solutions who informed him that Kinnear’s phone was being pinged excessively.
Goldblatt also identified Zane Kilian as the pinger.
Olivier also recorded a telephone conversation between himself and Lincoln two days before the murder, where he explained that Goldblatt informed him that Kilian had bought 150 pings and was pinging Kinnear every 30 seconds.
During the call, Olivier is heard asking Lincoln if the officers had received protection and Lincoln replies: "That we have in place, yes.“
Lincoln also appears worried that he is being pinged and further questions Olivier about whether the informant picked up anything on him, but Olivier said there was nothing for Lincoln’s number.
On Tuesday, Lincoln told the court that after becoming aware of the threat on Kinnear and the lives of other officers, he reported it to police top brass.
He also deployed AGU officers to Kinnear’s house in November 2019, but says he was instructed that he did not have the authority to do so.
He explained that while risk assessments needed to be conducted on Kinnear’s home, the detective did not trust the Crime Intelligence Unit and allegedly dodged officers from the national office.
Lincoln confirmed receiving the information from Olivier and says he made arrangements with the Flying Squad to patrol near Kinnear’s home.
The top cop also found himself at the centre of an emotional outburst by Janick Adonis, who accused him of lying about providing him with a cellphone in prison.
Adonis and his former girlfriend Amaal Jantjies are accused of staging the grenade attack on Kinnear’s home.
Adonis has repeatedly claimed he was given a blue Dixon phone to contact the cops, who he says they were working with.
When Lincoln denied this, Adonis screamed from the dock, “Meneer you took an oath, you gave me a phone. It’s in your statement. Tell the truth”.
The trial continues.
monique.duval@inl.co.za