Two undisclosed letters key to McBride’s future
ROBERT McBride’s future at the Independent Police Investigative Directorate appears uncertain after MPs listed a number of issues that disqualified him to continue to serve as the police watchdog’s head.
Members of the portfolio committee on police yesterday said McBride had failed to disclose two letters he wrote to Police Minister Bheki Cele last year to start a process to appoint the new head of Ipid.
ANC MPs said these two key letters were crucial and material in the case why McBride’s contract should not be renewed.
The committee has until this week to decide on McBride’s future after going through a list of submissions.
Cele has asked the committee not to renew McBride’s term of office, but the Ipid head says his term of office needed to be extended.
ANC MP Leonard Ramatlakane yesterday produced two letters McBride wrote to Cele in September and November last year in which he reminded the minister that the post needed to be advertised before his term expired at the end of this month.
Ramatlakane said the two letters written by McBride shed light on the fact that he had wanted the process to appoint the new Ipid head started.
“On these two letters McBride was proactive, he was saying to the minister ‘let’s get the show on the road, let’s advertise, let’s interview and a suitable candidate appointed’,” he said.
Emam Shaik Manzoor of the National Freedom Party also said the letters were evidence that McBride knew his term was expiring months before, and he had asked Cele to start the process of appointing a new head of Ipid. He said they had spent a lot of time thinking Cele was wrong when in fact it was McBride who had initiated processes as early as last September.
But the DA’s Zakhele Mbhele said the two letters should not lead the committee to miss the point about what needed to be done.
Mbhele said what was key in the debate was the renewal of the contract.
He said Cele had muddied the waters and complicated things. ONE of former president Jacob Zuma’s closest supporters, Bishop Timothy Ngcobo, will no longer be part of the drive to support him when he next appears in court.
Ngcobo, who had been ever present when Zuma appeared in court for his corruption trial said that he was asked to step aside by his newly formed party.
He is the president of the African Freedom Revolution (AFR), and also the secretary-general of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa (Nicsa) and was one of several religious leaders who backed Zuma during his marathon corruption court case.
“It’s important for one to step aside at this moment because we’ve led the Hands off Zuma campaign.”
He said that the move to quit leading the “Hands off Zuma” campaign was not a sign that he was deserting Zuma as he would still stand by his side, but not with the same commitment he had as leader of the campaign.
His own political party, the AFR, had also been against him being one of the leaders in mobilising support for Zuma’s court appearance, he said.
“I can go to court in my personal capacity, but I will no longer be involved in the activities like being part of the ‘Hands off Zuma’ organising team.
“Since we’ve started our party, AFR, I will no longer be able to lead those activities,” Ngcobo said.
He said his party was a multiracial political party.
“If I go to court I will do so in my own capacity and not on behalf of the ‘Hands off Zuma’ campaign.
“I will go to court and join the people to listen to what is being said as I will no longer be involved,” said Ngcobo .”
Criminal proceedings in Zuma’s corruption trial will be heard in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in May.