Suspended McBride to report for duty

SUSPENDED Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride will report for duty this morning, ending an almost 18-month suspension.

This is after parliament’s portfolio committee on police decided not to go ahead with plans to institute disciplinary action against him yesterday, following a ruling by the Constitutional Court that his suspension had been unlawful.

McBride was suspended last March for allegedly altering an Ipid report involving former Hawks head Anwa Dramat and Gauteng Hawks boss Shadrack Sibiya. He challenged the matter in court. The Constitutional Court judgment handed down last month declared the suspension unlawful and gave parliament 30 days to begin a disciplinary process.

Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko wrote to the speaker of parliament requesting that the official process be started, which she then referred to the police committee.

Yesterday was the final day for such a process to start but committee chair Francois Beukman told the committee that the “matter of public importance” would “fall away” because, having looked at the legal opinion again over the weekend, it was clear that “there needs to be a house resolution” from the National Assembly, and no such resolution had been taken.

McBride’s attorney Jac Marais said McBride would report for duty. “As it stands, there are no disciplinary proceedings, and the decision to suspend was unlawful, so he is going back to work tomorrow.”