Minister Nhleko admits breaking the law and Parliament must haul him over the coals 

13 October 2016

In a letter to Parliament, included in the ATC this week where it was referred to the Portfolio Committee on Police, the Minister of Police, Nathi Nhleko, has effectively admitted that he broke the law when he failed to report to Parliament on Berning Ntlemeza’s appointment within the prescribed 14 days.

This is on top of failing to adhere to judicial findings, including the Constitutional Court, which excoriated the basis on which he appointed Ntlemeza in the first place.

As such, the ANC in Parliament must give full effect to its proclamation that the institution shall never again find itself on the wrong side of the Constitution by rejecting this condonation and launching a full-scale parliamentary inquiry into Minister Nhleko’s fitness to hold office.

In so doing, Minister Nhleko must account for breaking the law and must explain the Ntlemeza appointment and McBride’s suspension in light of judicial findings expressly curtailing him from doing so.

In this letter, Minister Nhleko brazenly asks Parliament to “condone” this infraction thereby making it complicit in breaking the law.

Minister Nhleko also asks Parliament, in a separate letter, to clean up his mess in his suspension of the Executive Director of IPID which was found by the Constitutional Court to be unlawful.

Corruption-busting agencies have become dogged by political interference and are now seemingly used to conduct political witch hunts. 

Ntlemeza is clearly being used to carry out politically motivated ‘investigations’ – such as the witch hunt against Minister of Finance, Parvin Gorhan, which has had serious consequences for our already beleaguered economy and investor confidence.

It is extraordinary that the Minister would go to these lengths to commit what the DA believes to be unconstitutional and unjustifiable acts, which have now been confirmed to Parliament. It is clear that Minister Nhleko must have been instructed to get rid of McBride and Dramat at all costs.

This sort of capture and abuse of crime-fighting institutions is what we have come to expect from the ANC in government and the DA will fight tooth and nail to ensure that Minister Nhleko does not get away with this gross misconduct.

It is for these reasons that it is vital the Minister account for his disregard for the Constitution which all Ministers are duty-bound to uphold.

Issued by Zakhele Mbhele, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 13 October 2016