A senior KwaZulu-Natal police officer has asked the Durban High Court to declare a search and seizure warrant against him unlawful. Deenadayalan Govender claims the warrant was based on false information.
Govender is the commander of the Hawks’ National Priority Violent Crimes Unit. The warrant, issued on 1 October 2026, allowed the seizure of his personal and state-issued electronic devices.
His application was filed on 23 October. It names IPID officials Len Barnabas John and Phumlani Ngcobo, the magistrate who issued the warrant, the Minister of Police and the national head of IPID as respondents.
In his affidavit, Govender said he appeared before the Madlanga Commission in August 2026 after John made allegations against him. He said he later applied to testify behind closed doors because his evidence was sensitive.
Govender alleged that IPID stepped up its activities against him after that application. He said some of the extra evidence he planned to give was about IPID itself.
He believes the timing of the warrant was suspicious and meant to discredit him. He said the investigation against him and his unit was registered in April 2023. He said no one had tried to seize his devices in more than three years.
According to the affidavit, John and Ngcobo arrived at his Durban workplace at about 9am on 9 October. Govender said his personal cellphone and state-issued laptop were seized there and sealed in exhibit bags.
He said the officers then told him to go with them to his home, where John seized another cellphone. Govender said this was his state-issued phone. He claimed he received no receipt describing the items, only tear-off parts of the seals.
The warrant cited suspected offences of five counts of murder, allegedly committed on 1 April 2023 in Morningside, Durban. It also referred to alleged conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering between July 2019 and 8 July 2025.
Govender argued that John’s supporting affidavit had serious errors that should have alerted the magistrate. He disputed John’s claim that an interdict had been granted against him in favour of Bevan and Gregory Loftus. He said an application was placed on the court roll, but no order was ever granted.
He also questioned the dates. He said John claimed the interdict was granted on 31 March 2024, which was a Sunday. He said the affidavit gave 1 April 2024 for the killing of Bevan Loftus, while the murder docket number pointed to a 2023 registration.
Govender said the magistrate failed to properly consider the information and effectively acted as a rubber stamp. He also argued that the warrant’s wording was vague, because options that did not apply were not deleted.
He wants the court to order the immediate return of all the devices. He is also asking for an interim order stopping the respondents from using any information already taken from them as evidence against him while the case is pending.
IOL reported that the application is Govender’s own account and legal argument. The court has not, in the documents provided, made findings on the warrant or on the conduct of the IPID officials.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.