Phiyega cannot be allowed to hush Dramat with R13 mil bribe 

27 March 2015

The National Police Commissioner (NPC), Riah Phiyega, must be summoned to the Police Portfolio Committee to explain the "hush money" payment to suspended Hawks Boss, Anwa Dramat. This thinly veiled attempt at a bribe - at taxpayers' expense - includes a R3 million severance payment as of 31 March and R60 000 a month thereafter until Dramat turns 60. This effectively amounts to R13 million of public money (see M&G report).

I will be writing today to the Chairperson of the Police Committee, François Beukman, requesting that the NPC is called to explain to Parliament why Dramat is being paid off to walk away given Police Minister, Nathi Nhleko's, baseless claims that Dramat is guilty of illegal conduct in the rendition of Zimbabweans in 2010.

The DA also calls on Dramat to resist accepting such a deal that will see the reversal of all the good work he has done at the Hawks and set a truly crippling precident.

The NPC cannot be allowed to overtly pervert Section 35 of the SAPS Act to serve her government's clandestine agenda. Section 35 of the SAPS Act allows for her to discharge a police member "in the interest of the service". She cannot rationalise that removing Dramat would be in the best interest of the service without providing a morsel of credible evidence. The North Gauteng High Court in fact ruled that his initial suspension was illegal.

It seems she is attempting to manipulate the SAPS Act as a means to get around the legislation created to protect the integrity of the Hawks. The Minister has failed to fire him, the Minister has failed to force the Police Portfolio Committee to fire him, and now the NPC is doing a dance around a Constitutional Court ruling, trying to find a means to rid this crime fighting entity of the man who asked for the Nkandla files.

It must never be forgotten that one of the myriad reasons Bheki Cele was fired as the NPC was because of his abuse and spurious use of pension payouts for SAPS members under Section 35 - to the tune of R31.2 million over just two years. Many of those he gave these golden pensions to were under investigation at the time he sent them off to retirement.

Commissioner Phiyega seems to have joined Minister Nhleko's chorus to remove Dramat from his post with no regard for the law and due process. The spurious suspension of Dramat was followed by the bizarre suspension of Gauteng Hawks Commander, Shadrack Sibiya, and rounded off with the inexplicable suspension of IPID Head, Robert McBride. It remains common cause that Dramat has done no wrong and that the only people breaking the law are those who are attempting to get rid of him. 

The South African taxpayer cannot be expected to fund the severance and pension of a SAPS member removed simply because their investigations were becoming politically uncomfortable for those in power.

Commissioner Phiyega must account to Parliament for this proposed expenditure which is clearly an attempt to buy off Dramat and have him walk away quietly without exposing the illegality of the Police Minister's actions.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minster of Police, March 27 2015

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