Letters a ‘nail in coffin’ for McBride
PARLIAMENT will today decide the fate of Independent Police Investigative Directorate head Robert McBride after spending days deliberating on his future.
McBride’s chances of retaining his job appeared slim yesterday after the ANC and National Freedom Party MPs raised questions about his credibility to continue to lead Ipid.
Both the ANC and NFP said McBride did not disclose some of the factors to MPs and at the centre were two letters he wrote to Police Minister Bheki Cele last year.
In the letters, McBride said Cele had to start the process of advertising for the position as his contract was expiring at the end of this month.
Phindile Molla of the ANC and Manzoor Shaik Emam of the NFP said it was clear McBride did not need to continue in the job.
But Zakhele Mbhele and Dianne Kohler Barnard of the DA warned against jumping to conclusions.
Molla said the letters had clarified a lot of issues. She said one key thing was that it was McBride who wrote to Cele last year.
“Yesterday (Monday) we blamed the minister. We now have these two letters and I don’t know if the court has seen these letters,” said Molla.
Shaik Emam said McBride should have disclosed the letters to them earlier.
Now that the letters were out, this
For me it’s clear. There was a contract, it expired and the minister has a right not to renew