Let McBride do his job - HSF

6 September 2016

Johannesburg - Suspended Ipid head Robert McBride’s calm during the turbulence he faced was testimony to his ability to run the organisation, the Helen Suzman Foundation said on Tuesday.

“Where individuals with integrity are appointed to run and manage institutions, they must be allowed to do that,” HSF director Francis Antonie said.

“They cannot survive political interference. What then happens, you paralyse state institutions when you have executive interventions, as we have seen in the last two years or so.”

He was speaking outside the Constitutional Court, after it ruled McBride’s suspension as head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate was invalid. The HSF had joined the matter as a friend of the court.

Antonie said the HSF was proud to have been associated with McBride’s dispute. South Africa needed an active citizenry capable of standing up to its leaders.

McBride had sought confirmation of a high court ruling on the unlawfulness of his suspension by Police Minister Nathi Nhleko in March 2015.

The Constitutional Court ruled in McBride’s favour, but preserved the suspension for 30 days so Parliament could decide if it wanted to pursue disciplinary action against him.

The struggle veteran was accused of altering a report into the illegal renditions of a group of Zimbabweans in 2010, in order to protect then Hawks boss Anwa Dramat.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.