Mentor ‘reported Hawks’

FORMER ANC MP Vytjie Mentor says she reported the Hawks’ failure to probe the corruption charges she laid against former president Jacob Zuma and the Guptas to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

Mentor yesterday testified before the commission of inquiry into state capture that her complaints to the Ipid had been ignored and she even asked the directorate’s head Robert McBride about delays.

She told the commission headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that when she laid charges against Zuma and the Guptas in May 2016 her statement was taken for safekeeping by top Western Cape police officer General Jeremy Vearey.

According to Mentor, Vearey was then instructed to transfer the statement to former Hawks head Mthandazo Ntlemeza.

Mentor said she complained to the Ipid about the Hawks’ handling of her matter.

Ipid officials in the Western Cape have told the commission that Mentor’s was dealt with by a Mr Meyer, but Mentor said Meyer refused to assist her.

In her statement before the commission, Mentor said at some stage she laid a charge of obstruction of justice against Ntlemeza, former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and another senior Hawks officer, Zinhle Mnonopi, with the Ipid.

Mentor said when Hawks officer advocate Mandla Mtolo arrived at her home in Cape Town in June 2016, he told her their hands were tied because she had included Zuma’s name.

“I removed Zuma’s name under the influence of Mtolo,” she said.

Mtolo’s lawyer, Vincent Siwela, who started cross-examining Mentor, described the allegations against his client as false and malicious.

He said that by agreeing to remove Zuma’s name, Mentor connived with Mtolo to defeat the ends of justice.

Mtolo apparently told Mentor to remove reference to Zuma having a corrupt relationship with the Guptas.

Mtolo has recordings of the two meetings he held with Mentor, who also recorded one of the meetings.

Mentor said Mtolo’s statement before the commission claims he was alone but the recordings reveal the opposite.

Mentor was also cross-examined by former presidential aide Lakela Kaunda’s lawyer Henry Cowley, who disputed that his client ever contacted the former chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises to arrange the meeting at which the Guptas offered her the position of public enterprises minister at their Saxonwold compound in 2010.

During her cross-examination by Cowley, Mentor disputed records of Kaunda’s cellphone which showed that the former Presidency chief operations officer never called her.

She said she could not attest to the veracity of the records as her service provider, Vodacom, informed the commission it did not keep records for longer than five years.

“I have been treated unfairly by Vodacom and the commission’s legal team,” Mentor said.

Justice Zondo told Mentor she appeared to have issue with all records as she had disputed documents submitted by SAA, Parliament and the Department of Home Affairs.

I have been treated unfairly by Vodacom and the commission’s legal team Vytjie Mentor Former ANC MP