Kgomo to fill top oversight job

RETIRED Judge Frans Kgomo was yesterday unveiled by Police Minister FIkile Mbalula as the new leader of the office that oversees the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI).

Judge Kgomo fills the vacant position left by Judge Essa Moosa‚ who died earlier this year, in the Office of the Judge Complaints Unit, which oversees the Hawks and he will also investigate complaints from and against members of the unit.

At a press briefing in Parliament, Mbalula said Judge Kgomo’s role did not diminish the role played by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and Inspectorate-General for Intelligence.

“They will work together in the protection of our people and maintenance of integrity in our criminal justice system,” he said.

Mbalula said Judge Kgomo’s appointment would contribute to ensuring the Hawks executed their mandate in accordance with the spirit of the constitution. “It is an important responsibility to hold our security agencies accountable,” he added.

Judge Kgomo, who was Northern Cape judge president for 15 years, said he had in his entire life directly or indirectly interacted with police dating back to when he was an interpreter in Brits.

“I have some form of adjudicative experience when it comes to complaints. I represented the judge president on the Judicial Service Commission for a number of years. The chief justice appointed me to the judicial complaints committee‚” he said.

He has previously worked as a prosecutor, magistrate and advocate as well as belonging to Lawyers for Human Rights and the National Association of Black Lawyers.

Judge Kgomo described his new position as a “daunting one”.

“I really look forward to learning from the people who have been doing this job, its practicalities thereof and also interact with the members of the public.

“My function is to perform and to do justice between the people and officials in the directorate.”

His office allows him to call on a number of institutions, including the police commissioner and the National Prosecuting Authority, to assist in investigations.

“I have absolutely no doubt this is a great responsibility and I have said I have adjudicated on all sorts of manners,” Judge Kgomo said.

“I have dealt with cases involving dangerous criminals and never stood back. The former president of Botswana was prosecuted by me and I never stood back‚” he said.

He would not delay investigations and would initiate probes if something came to his attention.

Mbalula said Judge Kgomo’s office was one of the institutions created to ensure law- enforcement agencies and other institutions were held accountable. “If there are no checks and balances, we are open to abuse. That is why we have this particular institution,” he said.

“We want to go out with this job knowing we are being checked and in that way we will do our job,” he said.

Mbalula also said he had received many complaints about members of the Hawks, which he would refer to Judge Kgomo.

“My task as executive authority is to ensure that in the environment we find ourselves in we find full expression of the constitution.”