High Court Judgment Reveals Police Corruption and Gang Infiltration in Cape Town
The Western Cape High Court has delivered a significant ruling, exposing alarming levels of police collusion and the misuse of law enforcement resources to support criminal enterprises.
Former South African Police Service (SAPS) constable Alfonso Cloete, 35, was found guilty of leveraging his official position to gather sensitive information that was subsequently relayed to Elcardo Adams, alleged leader of the Mobsters gang, closely linked to the notorious 28s gang.
Both Cloete and Adams were convicted in connection to the December 2018 murder of Chevonne de Wet, who was shot while in a vehicle with her three-year-old child, who fortunately escaped unhurt. Adams faces additional charges for three more homicides.
The murders included that of Bradwyn Craig Adams, killed in Happy Valley on July 28, 2017; Hampshire “Hempies” Brown, a Kleinvlei businessman and supposed member of a rival gang, the Horribles, who was murdered on February 16, 2018; and Gilliano Williams, who was killed on October 28, 2018. Notably, De Wet was Brown’s goddaughter.
Breach of Trust
Judge Deidre Kusevitsky convicted Adams on all charges on July 31, 2026, condemning Cloete’s actions as a severe breach of public trust. This judgment had not been reported previously.
“Cloete was a police officer who aligned himself with this criminal organization. His betrayal of his oath of office and duty to the public he was sworn to protect is nothing short of disgraceful,” remarked Kusevitsky.
Sentencing hearings commenced on October 28, 2020, focusing on Cloete’s role in supplying vital intelligence to a gang leader.
In April 2022, Alfredo Blake, a confessed hitman, testified against the Mobsters, admitting to three murders among other crimes. He received a cumulative 170-year sentence, which effectively amounts to 40 years imprisonment.
This case runs parallel to another significant trial concerning alleged criminal activities involving Ralph Stanfield, his wife Nicole Johnson, and 12 co-defendants facing serious charges including murder, attempted murder, and robbery.
Multiple Charges Against Thirteen Defendants
The Cloete case includes 13 defendants facing 56 charges, encompassing murder, attempted murder, extortion, and illegal possession of firearms, among others.
The accused are Cloete, Adams, and others including Preston Dolan, Jonathan Blou, and Marlon Benjamin, among others. All defendants, with the exception of Dolan, have been convicted on multiple counts of violating the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
Between 2016 and 2019, the 28s Mobsters gang was active across several areas in and around the Cape Flats, including Kuils River and Bishop Lavis.
The State portrayed the violence as a retaliatory conflict between the 28s Mobsters and their rivals, the Horribles, with overlapping territories causing escalated tensions. Adams is alleged to have directed gang members to eliminate Brown, a leader of the Horribles, along with targeting his son, Corne.
Infiltration Concerns
The court’s findings evoke earlier warnings from Judge Daniel Thulare on October 17, 2022, who cautioned about potential infiltration by the 28s gang within senior police ranks. Thulare raised concerns regarding gang members allegedly trading arms with military personnel, further exacerbating crime in already vulnerable communities.
In response to these alarming findings, Premier Alan Winde initiated an investigation into possible gang infiltration of police management, while Oswald Reddy, the provincial Police Ombudsman, examined ties between police officers and gangsters.
In November 2025, Winde presented a redacted report detailing these inquiries. However, this left critical questions regarding the extent of criminal infiltration and institutional accountability unanswered.
From Police Officer to Criminal Collaborator
The court traced Cloete’s criminal activities back to a gun purchase in 2017, where he allegedly acquired a firearm from a fellow police officer while still on duty.
Testimony from an unnamed police officer revealed he sold a registered 9mm Norinco pistol to Cloete for R2,000 while in police uniform and a marked vehicle. The officer expressed regret shortly after the sale, only to find his firearm later associated with criminal activities.
The court acknowledged evidence indicating that Cloete’s transmission of confidential SAPS information not only facilitated organized crime but directly led to violent outcomes.
Evidence of Conspiracy
Further evidence detailed an attempted killing of DJ Corne Brown on December 21, 2018. A gang member testified that he and others conspired in a vehicle with Cloete and Adams to execute the attack, which ultimately resulted in de Wet’s murder.
The court accepted that Cloete provided strategic information to assassins, shaping their decisions on when to strike or hold back.
The judgment also addressed another incident in October 2019 involving Brown, where Cloete allegedly provided transportation during a planned attack. While he denied these claims, the implications are grave, highlighting the need for rigorous scrutiny of police conduct.
The investigation continues as the community seeks accountability and resolution, with each verdict further illuminating the complexities of gang-related violence and institutional integrity. DM
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