Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) boss Robert McBride wants his day in court as soon as possible so that he can clear his name.
He appeared briefly in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the alleged assault of his teenage daughter. He was granted bail of R10 000.
The State did not oppose bail on condition that McBride did not make contact with the witnesses in the case.
The charge against him is that of child abuse, alternatively assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The case was postponed to October 2 for investigation.
McBride did not comment on the allegations, but said he wanted the trial to start so he could clear his name.
He denied that he assaulted his daughter on August 19. Earlier, he told the media that he had merely admonished her.
But the teen told the media that the alleged assault was not an isolated incident. She claimed it “happened all the time”.
The DA’s spokesperson on police, Zakhele Mbhele, called on McBride to go on special leave in the meantime.
“Given the fact that the Constitutional Court has given Parliament two years to amend the laws that govern the removal of the head of Ipid, the DA calls on McBride to do the right thing… We request that he be placed on special leave pending the outcome of this case,” Mbhele said.
The DA MP added that while McBride was innocent until proven guilty, he should recuse himself from his leadership position pending the outcome of the case and “given the seriousness of the charges he is facing”.
Mbhele said that if McBride recused himself from his leadership position, all attention could remain focused on the police’s responsibility to reduce the country’s excessive crime rate.