Pretoria – The raging war pitting the country’s security agencies against each other is continuing unabated.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride, acting on legal advice, on Monday refused to give his adversaries in the Hawks a warning statement.
According to reports, the matter emanates from a 2006 attempted murder case which took place in Boksburg when McBride was still head of the Ekurhuleni metro police.
Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed that the directorate had requested a warning statement from McBride.
Alerted that McBride had refused to give the warning statement, Mulaudzi said McBride was “within his legal rights” but emphasised that the case would forge ahead.
McBride compared the charges to those laid against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan which the National Prosecuting Authority later had to withdraw as there was no prospect of a successful prosecution.
Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said McBride had a few weeks ago been approached by Hawks investigator Colonel Mannie Fourie who said he had been instructed by Police Minister Nathi Nhleko to “dig up dirt” against him.
Nhleko, who has already denied the allegation when he was quizzed in Parliament, through his spokesman Sandile Ngidi, again shot down the claim as a “wild allegation” on Monday.
“The request by the Hawks (for) McBride to give a warning statement is a culmination of this campaign.
“This matter is 10 years old and was dealt with at that time. Clearly, the Hawks are not acting in the interests of justice," Dlamini said.
"The manner in which this matter is being pursued by the Hawks is similar to the way in which they pursued spurious and frivolous charges against the minister of finance, which the NPA had to withdraw abruptly,” he said.
“It is interesting that the charge of defeating the ends of justice is not a priority crime that falls within the mandate of the Hawks, yet they are devoting a lot of resources to pursue it,” Dlamini added.
Last week Gauteng Hawks head Prince Mokotedi opened a litany of charges against his predecessor Shadrack Sibiya, McBride, private investigator Paul O’Sullivan and an SAPS captain, Candice Coetzee. The four face treason espionage and conspiracy charges, among others.