The Hawks: Plucked, hollowed out and ruined at Nhleko's hands
21 October 2016
Cabinet yesterday announced the permanent appointment of Major-General Isaiah Jabulani Zikhalithe as the Head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). This smacks of irregularity and is a yet another twist in the political plot to get rid of Major-General Johan Booysen at all costs.
This is because Booysen remains on suspension as the KZN Hawks Head following multiple failed attempts at a political witch hunt, lasting years and costing taxpayers more than R1.7 million due to vexatious litigation.
Towards the end of last year, all Provincial Heads of the Hawks were made to re-apply for their jobs. This gave the Nhleko-Ntlemeza "hit squad" duo their opportunity to complete the task of hollowing out this institution charged with fighting high-level corruption and organised crime in our country.
The Democratic Alliance will therefore request the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Francois Beukman, to:
- Summon Police Minister Nathi Nhleko to brief the Committee on each of the appointments of Provincial Hawks Heads so he can explain these decisions, including who was shortlisted and what motivated the final choices over other eligible candidates.
- Require the Minister to account for his failure to report to Parliament on the appointment of Lieutenant General Berning Ntlemeza as National Hawks Head, within 14 days of the decision, which the Minister only attempted to do a full year after the fact but not adequately.
The DA believes that this reporting obligation, required by law, is not merely for the Minister to 'notify' Parliament of his decision but to also explain the appointment, motivating for it as he would have done in his recommendation to the Cabinet.
The DA maintains that Ntlemeza is unfit to hold the position of National Head of the Hawks. In January 2014 the North Gauteng High Court Judge Matonjane stated that Ntlemeza was “biased, dishonest and lacks integrity and honour” and further that the man responsible for fighting priority crimes such as corruption and organised crime, was dishonest as he “made false statements under oath.”
With each day it becomes more and more apparent that Ntlemeza, at the behest of Nhleko, is using the Hawks to settle political scores and to intimidate those who would speak the truth about corruption to those in power.
Since the disbandment of the corruption-busting Scorpions, arrest and conviction rates by its replacement, the Hawks, have plummeted by 60% and an astounding 83% respectively.
In the current political environment, rife with politically motivated witch hunts that continue to compromise the integrity of South Africa's state institutions, we need a corruption-busting unit that is independent and effective.
The DA will continue to stand firm in its position that the Hawks be disbanded and that the Scorpions be re-established under an independent NPA which is free from political interference, so that we can start making meaningful strides in the fight against corruption.
Issued by Zakhele Mbhele, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 21 October 2016
