Johannesburg – One of the police unions wants Police Minister Nathi Nhleko stripped of the powers to appoint the head of the elite crime unit, the Hawks.
South African Police Union (Sapu) president Mpho Kwinika made the comments in the wake of the High Court in Pretoria setting aside the appointment of Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza as head of the Hawks.
The embattled Ntlemeza is seeking divine intervention and will today attend a church service at Incredible Happenings Church for a big sermon to be conducted by Pastor Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng in Katlehong.
But Sapu’s leadership is adamant that they want him out. The union says a transparent process of appointment should be undertaken in the search for the new boss of the Hawks.
Detailing the desired process, Kwinika said: “We want a similar process undertaken as the Judicial Service Commission when it interviews candidates for the position of judges. The potential candidates are put before the entire country and are grilled in public. We do not see the reason why such a process could not be extended to the appointment of the Hawks head.”
He said the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 was making similar proposals. According to Kwinika, public interviews of potential candidates would eliminate any possibility of politicians influencing the appointment.
“The appointment of Ntlemeza was influenced by a few ministers, and this was likely that the head may be manipulated by them in his decision to charge various people,” Kwinika said.
Kwinika said his union welcomed the damning judgment of the High Court, which found that his appointment on September 10, 2015, “was irrational and therefore set aside”.
A high court set aside the appointment of Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza as head of the Hawks. File picture: Gcina Ndwalane/Independent Media
“Sapu feels more than vindicated, as we publicly stated our opposition to his appointment. Sapu even wrote letters to the Minister of Police, Nathi Nhleko, stating our opposition to the appointment of a man declared by a high court to be untrustworthy. Nhleko must take full responsibility for this embarrassing turn of events,” Kwinika said.
He alleged that since Ntlemeza “dismally failed” in visible policing, he had no chance of succeeding in an elite division like the Hawks.
Now, Sapu wants Ntlemeza and Nhleko to be held personally liable for the legal costs.
While Ntlemeza was expected to report for work tomorrow, Sapu says “the general (Ntlemeza) must leave his desk now, not tomorrow”.
“We call upon minister Nhleko to speed up the process of advertising the vacant post of the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.”
Kwinika said the selection of the Hawks head must be regulated and there was a need for an independent body to do that work.
Meanwhile, Nhleko’s spokesman Sandile Ngidi has denied that the minister was already hunting for a possible successor of Ntlemeza.
“The minister is currently taking legal advice and understands the seriousness with which he must respond to this matter.”