Hawks probe whether video of scuffle with top SARS official staged

THE Hawks are investigating whether a damning video showing the assault and harassment of a senior SARS official, who inadvertently received key documents that could damage the state’s investigation into Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, was staged.

This comes as cellphone footage recorded by SARS deputy law administration director Vlok Symington of himself allegedly being assaulted and held hostage by the commander of the SAPS crimes against the state unit, Brigadier Nyameka Xaba, and SARS commissioner Tom Monyane’s bodyguard came to light yesterday.

The footage shows the police forcibly taking printed e-mails off him in a scuffle in the SARS boardroom.

The e-mails contain legal opinion by SARS lawyers that the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) case against Gordhan is flimsy. Gordhan, along with his then SARS deputy Ivan Pillay, are to appear in court next week on charges of fraud and theft.

The Hawks investigation into the video follows the lodging of an urgent court application by the Helen Suzman Foundation to get the NPA’s case against Gordhan stopped.

The organisation claims the NPA’s prosecution is politically driven.

Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said there was more to the (video) incident than people realised.

“A formal meeting was requested after it transpired that the ‘so-called’ victim was in possession of documents he was not meant to have,” he said.

Mulaudzi said Symington was requested to surrender the documents as he left the boardroom.

“He refused. An intervention was then requested to his superiors for him to give over the documents, which he again refused to do,” he said.

“We had no choice, but to remove [them] from him, which we did.”

He said it had transpired that there were cameras set up in the boardroom.

“We and SARS are investigating this. You have to ask yourself was this not planned?”

Mulaudzi said they were cooperating with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), which is investigating Xaba and his colleagues.

Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini confirmed that Symington had opened a case of kidnapping with it.

“I can confirm that we’ve opened a case of kidnapping. It was registered late [Wednesday]. It has been assigned to an investigator‚” he said.

Dlamini said Ipid was in possession of video footage and other evidence.

NPA head Advocate Shaun Abrahams declined to comment.