Johannesburg - Just over nine months ago, Nathi Nhleko was a director-general in the Department of Labour and at odds with his boss, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant.
When President Jacob Zuma reshuffled his cabinet after the elections in May last year, Nhleko’s fortunes improved dramatically.
He emerged as a cabinet colleague to Oliphant after being appointed Minister of Police.
Nhleko’s appointment to cabinet rank took many by surprise, as his name had been bandied about as a possible successor to Bheki Cele as the national commissioner of police. He was touted for the post because of his previous role as national commissioner of correctional services.
In his nine months in the office, Nhleko has shot from the hip, taking on key members in the national security set-up. His first major move was to set up a special committee to investigate the work of National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega. The terms of reference of the special “reference group” read like Phiyega’s job description.
Phiyega was unimpressed with his move and made her feelings known in a letter she subsequently sent to him.
Nhleko told the national police commissioner in a letter in October that he had received several concerns regarding the functioning of the SAPS.
He told her he had appointed the “reference group”, comprised of six experts, and convened by advocate Margaret Kruger, to look into issues pertaining to police administration, appointments, promotions, salary increases, working conditions, dismissals as well as disciplinary and criminal proceedings involving senior police managers.
“The national commissioner and the administration will be required to co-operate fully with the reference group and (are) particularly required to timeously provide all documentation requested to ensure that the reference group completes its responsibilities within the stipulated time frame,” wrote Nhleko.
In turn, Phiyeya subsequently made her opposition to the probe known to Nhleko.
She said the issues should have been discussed with her first as she was in charge of the police. She also complained that the move violated the constitutional principle of the separation of powers.
The reference group, which has interviewed many leading security experts,including former deputy police commissioners, is expected to report back to Nhleko in the next few weeks. Nhleko’s next controversial move was to suspend Hawks’ boss Lieutenant-General General Anwar Dramat in December. The suspension was linked to his role in the illegal rendition from South Africa of five Zimbabwean men who were suspected of criminal activities in their country. One of the men subsequently died in custody in Zimbabwe. The minister has also suspended Dramat’s four subordinates, and Major-General Shadrack Sibiya, head of the Hawks in Gauteng. The minister’s latest target is head of the Independent Police Investigation Directorate (Ipid), Robert McBride.
McBride, a former Ekurhuleni metro police chief, was suspended on Thursday over the directorate’s handling of its investigations into Dramat and Sibiya’s rendition case.
Nhleko was miffed that an initial Ipid report had implicated both Dramat and Sibiya in the illegal rendition, but a subsequent report exonerated them.McBride challenged his suspension in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday. He accused the minister of abusing his powers for 'illegitimate political reasons'.
The Sunday Independent