Hawks: DA to move for probe into Police Minister's conduct

1 February 2015

The DA will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Francois Beukman, requesting the Committee investigate the Minister of Police, Nathi Nhleko's offering of a R20 million "golden handshake" to Hawks Boss Anwa Dramat in exchange for his early retirement. 

Today's reports allege that Minister Nhleko is prepared to pay "the salary and benefits he would have earned until his retirement." Given that Dramat is 46 and is not likely to retire before 60 years old, the City Press estimates that this could cost the taxpayer R20 million (see Rapport article).

This is the latest move by a frantic Police Minister trying everything possible to get rid of an independent Hawks boss whose investigations strayed too close to Zuma Inc.

The DA believes that Minister Nhleko deliberately circumvented Parliament by illegally suspending Dramat on Christmas Eve last year. 

Regardless of an impending Constitutional Court ruling on the suspension, Minister Nhleko then had the gall to try and bully Parliament into rubber-stamping his illegal conduct ex post facto by requesting the Police Portfolio Committee institute removal proceedings against Dramat without providing a shred of evidence of the Hawks boss's alleged ‘misconduct'. 

Knowing full well that the law and due process are not on his side in this matter, Minister Nhleko is now attempting to pay R20 million of taxpayer's money to get rid of Dramat.

With every illegal and frantic attempt to purge Dramat it becomes increasingly clear that Minister Nhleko is being pressured from the very top. It is becoming more apparent that his handlers at Luthuli House want Dramat gone by any and all means necessary without regard for due process or the rule of law.

This abuse of power and taxpayer's money has become synonymous with Zuma's ANC in government.

It is not Dramat's ‘misconduct' that Parliament should preoccupy itself with, but rather the Minister's brazen disregard for law and due process that must be met with swift and decisive action. 

Furthermore, the Constitutional Court will on Thursday rule on the Minister's appeal regarding whether or not he acted illegally and outside his authority by suspending Dramat without consulting Parliament.

Should the Constitutional Court uphold the ruling that he did in fact deliberately break the law, it will only add further impetus to the case for Minister Nhleko's conduct to be investigated by Parliament, and for him to be fired once and for all.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, February 1 2015

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