Police minister humiliates me, says Ntlemeza

Ilse de Lange

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula has accused disgraced Hawks head Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza of trying to score “power political points” with an urgent application for his reinstatement.

The minister vehemently opposed Ntlemeza’s application to immediately get his job back and for an interdict to stop Mbalula from “intimidating him” and making public statements “which subject him to ridicule”.

Judge Sheila Mphahlele will give judgment in the application today.

A full bench of the High Court in Pretoria on March 17 set aside former police minister Nathi Nhleko’s decision to appoint Ntlemeza as head of the Hawks and found that he lacked the honesty, integrity and conscientiousness for the top post.

The full bench last month refused Ntlemeza leave to appeal against its ruling and granted an order to the Helen Suzman Foundation and Freedom Under Law to enforce its March 17 ruling, despite any possible petition or appeal. The Supreme Court of Appeal has since also refused him leave to appeal.

Counsel for Ntlemeza, Nceba Dukada, argued that Ntlemeza’s pending appeal against the enforcement order – which will be argued in the Supreme Court of Appeal on June 2 – automatically suspended that order.

He said Mbalula’s refusal to allow Ntlemeza back in his office was therefore unlawful and violated Ntlemeza’s rights “minute by minute”.

The minister maintained it was not in the public interest and would be harmful to the reputation of the Hawks to allow Ntlemeza back in his post, but Dukada argued that this was not an issue.

“[Ntlemeza] is here to enforce a right and not an interest. That cannot be a reason for him not to be back at work ... The opposition to this application is frivolous,” he said.

Dukada submitted that Ntlemeza’s reputation was being harmed and that Mbalula was humiliating him, day by day.

Counsel for Mbalula, Nazeer Cassim, argued that Ntlemeza was trying to score power political points and could not complain of reputational harm when at least four judges have found him to be dishonourable and not fit for his position.

He said the full bench’s finding that Ntlemeza was not fit for office was final.