Court grants final interdict against high-ranking police officer accused of sending 'death threats'

A HIGH court judge has granted a final restraining order against a high-ranking police officer accused of sending “death threats” to a man and his family after he had laid a complaint against her.

- NADIA KHAN [e-mail]

The man referred to as “Mr M”, who was initially a witness in at least two murder cases, together with his wife, had brought an application in the Johannesburg High Court, calling for Lieutenant-Colonel Fatima Gaffoor to be restrained from “threatening, harassing or intimidating” them.

In handing down his judgment last week, Judge Stuart David James Wilson, said on March 28, 2025, he issued a rule nisi (provisional court order) calling upon any interested party to show cause as to why he should not grant a final interdict restraining Gaffoor from threatening, harassing or intimidating the couple, and to direct the minister of police, who is one of the respondents in the matter, to take steps as may be necessary to restrain her.

Judge Wilson in the order, outlined the reasons for reaching his conclusion.

He said Mr M was a material witness in at least two murder cases that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had declined to prosecute.

Judge Wilson said in 2014 Mr M, his wife, and their son were enrolled in the witness protection programme to protect them from reprisal from the accused in those cases.

He said after the NPA declined to pursue the prosecutions further, the family were ejected from the programme in 2017.

Judge Wilson said the couple were not happy with the circumstances under which this took place, and laid complaints about the handling of their case, and the murder dockets underlying them at the Parkview Police Station in 2018.

He said Gaffoor commenced her duties as head of the detectives section at Parkview Police Station on October 14, 2019.