NEHAWU CONDEMNS AND REJECTS THE APPOINTMENT OF ADVOCATE GERHARD VISAGIE AS THE HEAD OF THE SIU
THURSDAY, 05 MARCH, 2015
NEHAWU is deeply shocked and disappointed by President Jacob Zuma's decision to appoint Adv. Gerhard Wilhelm Visagie as new Head of Special Investigations Unit {SIU}. We view this as an ill advised decision by the presidency and a blatant insult to all non-white workers at SIU, who have been waging a bitter fight for the transformation of the SIU.
Advocate Visagie has been very central to workplace instability and also at the forefront of the divisions at SIU, including but not limited to victimization of non-white members, leaking of information, etc. Our union ,representing 70% workers at SIU rejects his appointment and will resist the reversal of the transformation strides that have been made over the last couple of years.
The president has undermined the efforts of transformation by the union and has done the bidding for the Democratic Alliance, that has been trying to take over the SIU for a long time The appointment cannot even be justified on grounds of competency because Adv. Visagie, who was not as the presidency and the media reported an Executive Legal Manager, but a Senior Legal Counsel, has failed to advise the Unit on complex legal matters. The Unit still spends millions of rands on external legal counsel.
Its 60 years after the adoption of the Freedom Charter; 21 years into our democracy , and the message from the Presidency is that South Africa does not have qualified black lawyers to occupy the position of SIU Head.