Hawks officers face probe
Ipid investigates raid by four top officials, removal of dockets from captain’s office
FOUR high-ranking Hawks officers are under investigation for a raid on a senior Eastern Cape Hawks investigator amid allegations of political interference.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has confirmed it has opened a case of defeating the ends of justice against the four highranking Hawks officials.
They were part of a team that raided the offices of Captain Luphumlo Lwana and confiscated case dockets allegedly linked to politicians earlier this month.
The case was reported to Ipid on Thursday by Lwana and is against Pretoria-based national commercial crime unit commander Major-General Alfred Khana, anti-corruption unit commander Colonel Lungisani Nzimande, provincial anti-corruption task team commander Colonel Mxolisi Nogemane, and a commercial crime unit commander identified only as Colonel C Z Toni.
The three colonels are all based at the provincial Hawks headquarters in East London at Oxford Street, and the major-general in Pretoria.
Nogemane and Nzimande declined to comment and referred inquiries to the national Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, while Toni could not be contacted.
Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said: “I can confirm that the case was opened with the Ipid. An investigation will be launched soon.”
The Police, Prisons and Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and SA Communist Party reacted with anger when Khana led the raid and confiscated the dockets, saying the move was politically motivated as Lwana was investigating some politicians.
Some of the case dockets – which are now deemed missing – concern some powerful figures and politicians, including Amathole ANC regional leader Teris Ntutu.
In 2014, following a two-month investigation, Lwana arrested former Buffalo City mayor Zukiswa Ncitha, former deputy mayor Themba Tinta, former council speaker Luleka Simonsuspended ANC regional secretary Pumlani Mkolo and senior councillor Sindiswa Gomba for alleged money-laundering and fraud related to payments made from R5.9-million meant for Nelson Mandela’s memorial services.
At the time Mulaudzi told the Dispatch that the confiscation of Lwana’s case dockets followed mounting complaints from the public about Lwana’s alleged abuse of his powers through alleged victimising of suspects.
Yesterday, he said: “We are not bothered [because] they have a duty to do, so let it be. We welcome such a probe . . . the dockets are the property of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [Hawks].”
The SACP said last week that the Hawks were starting to operate like the disbanded Scorpions, which were used to settle political scores.
“We view it as the continuation of abuse of state apparatus in general and state security forces to resolve political questions.
“We call for the relevant authorities, including oversight bodies, to act against political protection of corrupt people. The law must be allowed to take its full course without undue political interference as part of restoring dignity and confidence to the ANC-led movement,” the organisation added. —