Suspended KZN Hawks boss vindicated a 5th time

18 November 2015

The DA notes the Durban High Court’s decision to overturn the suspension of the head of the KZN division of the Hawks, Major General Johan Booysen. We further call for him to be reinstated following the latest development in a string of baseless prosecutions and an internal disciplinary hearing that all proved his innocence.

This follows Durban Judge Anton van Zyl’s decision to clear Booysen of all charges. Judge Van Zyl ruled that ruled that national Hawks boss, Berning Ntlemeza, did not even have a case against Booysen, whom he has accused of committing fraud.

In doing so he slated Ntlemeza stating the “there is not even prima facie evidence that such fraud had been committed, or if it had that the applicant is implicated therein.” This is not surprising and the DA thanks the Court for further exposing this for the witch-hunt we have always known it to be.

In fact, the Labour Court found in Booysen’s favour, not once, but twice.  The High Court found that the then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Nomgcobo Jiba, did not properly apply her mind to the racketeering authorisation and in fact misled the Court.  Following that the SAPS launched an internal disciplinary hearing, and once again it is clear that the Major General has not been involved in any wrong doing.

The Judge further determined that “the conduct of the respondent [Ntlemeza] nevertheless deserves censure and as a mark of the Court’s disapproval.” It is distressing that this sort of vexatious litigation at taxpayer’s expense has come to characterise all our corruption-busting institutions. 

It is our hope that the SAPS, under whom the Hawks fall, have learned today that repeating the same thing over, and over again will not come up with a different result.

They arrested the Head of the Hawks KZN, Major General Johan Booysen, in August 2012, accusing him of multiple charges. This was shortly after his division had charged President Zuma’s son’s business partner, Thosan Panday. 

Panday faced two serious charges – one of which was having R2 million delivered to Major General Booysen (as witnessed and recorded by team members of the Hawks) to make the investigation go away. Yet in a bizzare twist Panday had all of the charges against him lifted, and instead the Major General was arrested and has been the subject of persecution ever since. It is clear that under the ANC acting independently means that you will become a target to be eliminated- especially if you pursue Zuma Inc.

Two questions remain for which I will be submitting parliamentary questions to obtain the answers:

Why was he arrested in the first place; and

How much has this witch hunt cost the taxpayer?

I fully expect Major General Booysen to be immediately reinstated in his position as the KZN Head of the Hawks.

Issued by Zakhele Mbhele, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 18 November 2015