Hawks chief to be grilled on Pravin

MPs are to grill Hawks boss Berning Ntlemeza on his unit’s investigation into Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s role in the formation of the South African Revenue Service’s “rogue unit”.

Standing committee on public accounts chairman Themba Godi said Ntlemeza confirmed he would attend a meeting scheduled for Wednesday when the Gordhan investigation would be discussed.

Ntlemeza would not have the same protection he got this week when Police Minister Nathi Nhleko shielded him from answering questions at a press briefing in parliament.

Godi said his committee had summoned the whole anticorruption task team, including the Hawks, the National Prosecuting Authority, the National Treasury and SARS.

They would be required to give feedback on cases before them. All cases, including the SARS “rogue unit” cases, will be in the spotlight.

Two weeks ago, it was revealed that the Hawks had handed over the SARS docket to the NPA to consider bringing charges against Gordhan.

Godi told the Sunday Times that they want to “have a sense of what they are doing”.

He added: “It is something we decided upon some time before we even went on election recess. We received the reports of the auditor-general, and in quite a number of instances we look at irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful expenditure.”

On reports about cases being sent to the police for possible criminal investigation, Godi said: “We were wondering to ourselves, do we know what happens to these cases when they have been reported?

“That is where the idea of us meeting with law enforcement came into being, to say we want to have a sense of what they are doing.

“What we have formally done, we have written to the anticorruption task team. As you know it is chaired by the Hawks and the NPA. I’ve spoken to General Ntlemeza. He has committed to come,” said Godi.

The committee is to ask Ntlemeza and NPA head Shaun Abrahams about:

The number of cases each has dealt with since inception; ý Criteria to prioritise cases; ý Cases per department and public entity; and

The people or companies and officials accused, amounts involved and progress;

Godi said Abrahams could not attend the meeting as he would be out of the country.

“He was very eager to come himself and wanted to check if we can postpone. It will be the anticorruption task team, not the Hawks alone, so you will have the National Treasury, SARS, you will have the Special

When we call the task team all should come. We want them to outline their mandate

Investigating Unit, you will have the Hawks and you will have public administration,” said Godi.

Working as a task team meant that “when we call the task team all should come”, said Godi, referring to the SARS matter.

“We want them to firstly outline their mandate.”

Godi said Scopa sent letters on September 1 to the Hawks and the SIU, requesting a meeting on cases referred to the Hawks by various government departments and entities, to discuss corruption cases in government entities.

“In our engagement with National Treasury [on Tuesday] we [became] fully aware that a comprehensive discussion on the issues can be best dealt with if we invited the entire components of the anticorruption task team,” wrote Godi.