New SIU head ‘will not change things’

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Published Mar 3, 2015

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Pretoria - Mixed reaction greeted the appointment of the new head for the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Gerhard Visagie.

President Jacob Zuma on Monday named Visagie as the next man to head the SIU.

But Paul Hoffman, director of the Institute for Accountability, was quick to shoot down the move.

“The Special Investigating Unit is a toothless bulldog and (Zuma’s) appointment of acting head (Visagie) will not change things.”

Hoffman said: “Advocate Visagie is already in a position of weakness because he is in an acting position. The SIU is a toothless bulldog at best. He is compromised already. What we need is an effective crime-busting operation.”

Visagie’s appointment follows the sudden resignation of Vas Soni.

Soni, who had been at the SIU for 16 months, resigned because he wanted to spend more time with his sick wife, Anitha. He was appointed by Zuma in September 2013. He left the institution on Friday.

Before him, there were two SIU heads who were appointed in an acting capacity. Deputy national directors of public prosecutions, Nomgcobo Jiba, and Nomvula Mokhatla both acted in the position before Soni was appointed on a permanent basis.

Jiba had replaced Judge Willem Heath, who resigned after controversy surrounding allegations he made that former president Thabo Mbeki had orchestrated rape and corruption charges against Zuma.

Visagie, who is currently the executive manager of the legal services at the SIU and has been at the organisation since 1997, also worked at the Heath Commission. The commission was appointed by Nelson Mandela and was headed by Judge Heath to investigate corruption in the Eastern Cape.

The DA’s spokeswoman on Justice, Glynnis Breytenbach, was more optimistic about Visagie’s appointment. She said he was expected to do well in the position because he had been at the institution for a long time.

“He has been in there for at least 15 years. He is the most experienced person there and in terms of continuity he is the best person for the job.”

However, she said it remained to be seen whether Visagie would be brave and tackle issues without prejudice.

South African Police Union spokesman Oscar Skommere agreed with Breytenbach that Visagie was the right man for the job because he had been at the SIU for a long time.

“If you take experience into consideration, he is the perfect man and he is also qualified. He was in the background when the past heads came and left. What he needs to do now is be able to resist political interference. If he can do that, then he will be able to steer the organisation in the right direction,” Skommere said.

But Hoffman said Visagie would not want to make any changes in the institution because they receive their mandate from Zuma. “Advocate Visagie receives their mandate from presidential proclamations. If he tries to push for change, it will reduce his chances of career advancement,” Hoffman said.

He said that if the country was serious about the fight against corruption, government should ensure that the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority are headed by independent people. He said that currently the Hawks and the NPA were unable to do their duties effectively because of internal politics.

“We need an independent and effective anti-corruption machinery. Right now, the closest we have to that is the public protector and she does not have judicial powers,” Hoffman said.

Pretoria News

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