A sworn affidavit by a former associate of Mfazi forms the basis of the allegations. Mfazi's death and the secret inquiryWhen Mfazi died in July 2021, his death was attributed to Covid-19 complications. Investigators later established that, prior to his death, Mfazi had been quietly looking into whether state resources and crime intelligence funds had been unlawfully channelled towards an unofficial covert operation monitoring the perpetrators behind the 2020 Phala Phala farm robbery. The SAPS Cold Case Unit has since conducted search and raid operations at properties linked to both accused officers as part of the active homicide investigation into Mfazi's death. He denied entering Mfazi's home, denied any involvement in clearing the cellphone, and denied removing files related to the Phala Phala matter.