First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.
2020 has been a tumultuous year for the SAPS. At least 20 rotten cops, many at the apex of the service, have been arrested, charged and dismissed for fraud and corruption amounting to hundreds of millions of rand.
Five years ago this colonic irrigation of senior ranks in law enforcement would have been unlikely if not unthinkable unless forced by an order of the court.
The arrests come after years of dogged investigation, often under life-threatening and career-limiting conditions by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and propelled by a renewed vigour within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).