Acting police commissioner Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane has denied interfering with investigations against him undertaken by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
Phahlane and Ipid director Robert McBribe faced off in Parliament on Tuesday during a police briefing in Parliament on Tuesday about alleged interference by Phahlane and a North West police investigating team in internal probes.
According to News24, Phahlane and Major-General Ntebo Mabula are alleged to have intimidated Ipid investigators who are looking into cases against Phahlane and others in the police.
TimesLive reported that the portfolio committee was told how Ipid investigators working on a case against Phahlane received death threats.
But in an interview on PowerFM on Wednesday morning, Phahlane said he had cooperated with Ipid at every turn, even going so far as to allow them to interview his minor daughter.
But his distaste for Ipid was clear, when he referred to it as "Opid", or the O'Sullivan Police Investigative Directorate – a reference to Paul O'Sullivan, the private investigator who laid the complaint against him.
"That's from where they take their orders. The investigation against me is primarily premised by the allegations made by him," Phahlane said.
He was asked whether he recognised IPID as a legitimate authority.
Phahlane responded: "There is nothing wrong with competent authorities conducting investigations... I don't know how many times must I repeat that I will cooperate..."
Phahlane was then asked whether he would be prepared to step down to allow the investigation against him to be completed.
He said: "I'm on record as saying I was appointed as acting police commissioner by the President... I am not glued to that chair... If I was asked to be home I would gladly do that and focus on my studies..."
He said the allegations against him related to cars purchased "with my own money... with my wife's money" and denied any wrongdoing.
Phahlane was asked to comment on the recent spate of attacks against women but declined, saying it was not fair that he would not be given the same amount of time to talk about policing matters as he was given to talk about his personal matters.