Durban - In yet another victory for the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss, Major-General, Johan Booysen, appears to have been cleared of all internal disciplinary charges relating to him not taking action against members of his unit.
“I understand I have been acquitted but I am waiting for the police head office to make it official,” he told the Daily News on Wednesday night.
Booysen, who was head of the now-disbanded Cato Manor serious and violent crimes unit, had also been criminally charged along with 29 of his former colleagues of running a criminal enterprise.
The then-acting national director of public prosecutions, Nomgcobo Jiba, had said in court papers that the unit acted like an organised crime organisation.
Booysen was charged in August 2012 with managing and participating in an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity. He was accused of two murders, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
But in an about-turn in March, criminal charges against him were withdrawn in the Durban High Court. The police disciplinary proceedings had continued.
Until now, that is.
The DA said on Wednesday night that Booysen should be reinstated as head of the KZN Hawks after being cleared of the internal charges.
The party’s spokeswoman for policing, MP Dianne Kohler Barnard, said national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega had yet to send Booysen the final paperwork confirming his acquittal.
“In fact, it seems she may be withholding it,” she claimed.
“The Labour Court found in Booysen’s favour, not once, but twice. Jiba did not properly apply her mind to the racketeering (charge) authorisation and in fact misled the court,” Kohler Barnard said.
“He was arrested and paraded in handcuffs before the television cameras. This was soon after his division had charged President Jacob Zuma’s son’s business partner, Thoshan Panday,” she said.
“Panday faced two serious charges – one of which was having R2 million delivered to Booysen (as witnessed and recorded by team members of the Hawks) to make the investigation go away. Yet in a bizarre twist Panday had all of the charges against him lifted, and instead Booysen was arrested,” said the MP.
“Two questions remain unanswered. Why was he (Booysen) arrested in the first place? How much has this witch hunt cost the taxpayer?”
Kohler Barnard said she had put the questions to Police Minister, Nkosinathi Nhleko, but had not received a response.
KZN police referred all media enquiries to the Hawks whose spokesman, Captain Paul Ramaloko, had not responded at the time of publication.
National police spokesman, Solomon Makgale, said today that the matter “has not yet been finalised”.
“A detailed response will only be provided once the matter has been concluded.”