Police minister to probe Hawks saga
‘Contradictory Ipid reports on renditions a concern’
POLICE Minister Nathi Nhleko has vowed to get to the bottom of how the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) issued two different reports on the illegal rendition of Zimbabweans it investigated.
The controversial saga led to the suspension of Hawks bosses Anwa Dramat and Major-General Shadrack Sibiya, but a court found their suspensions were illegal.
A source told The Star that if it emerged there was interference or the report was altered deliberately to protect Sibiya and Dramat, Ipid officials, including its head Robert McBride, could be arrested.
McBride referred all questions on the issue to Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini.
Yesterday, Nhleko’s spokesman, Musa Zondi, said the minister was concerned that the second report “suggests that at face value there has been some tempering and altering of the evidence/recommendations. The minister will follow up and get to the bottom of this.”
Zondi added that Nhleko was concerned that two reports on the same subject existed.
The police watchdog was investigating the involvement of Dramat, Sibiya and Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie “Cowboy” Maluleke in the illegal rendition of several Zimbabweans suspected of killing a Chief Superintendent Chatikobo in Bulawayo.
The first report issued in January last year recommended that Sibiya and Maluleke face criminal charges for kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
However, two months later, Ipid issued another report and exonerated Sibiya and Dramat.
Part of the first report that implicated Dramat was removed from the second report.
The two rendition survivors, Maqhawe Sibanda and Shepherd Tshuma, said Sibiya, Maluleke and DetectiveSergeant Paul Radebe arrested them in Diepsloot in 2010 with their friends Nelson Ndlovu and Witness Ndeya.
They were driven to Zimbabwe, but Ndlovu and Sibanda were dropped off on the way.
Ndeya and Tshuma were handed to the Zimbabwean police. Ndeya was killed by the police but Tshuma was released after being tortured for 10 days.
The pair said Maluleke had a list and was looking for Gordon Dube, Ndeya, John Nyoni, Pritchard Tshuma and Mthelisi Sibanda.
Pritchard Tshuma, Nyoni, Sibanda and Dube were also allegedly arrested by Maluleke and handed to Zimbabwean police.
Nyoni was killed by Zimbabwean police and Tshuma disappeared.
An insider in the National Prosecuting Authority said the prosecutors assigned to the case had been dragging their heels.
It emerged that the report was assigned to the South Gauteng director of public prosecutions Andrew Chauke even though the case falls under the Pretoria jurisdiction.
“It’s seems like some of the prosecutors have been colluding with certain people. I don’t believe that people should use state resources and their power to fight their own battles and agendas,” added the insider.
Yesterday, director of public prosecutions in Pretoria advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi confirmed that he received the report from Ipid only in January this year.
He said he had received the report that exonerated Sibiya and Dramat, not the one recommending they be charged.
“I’m still trying to find the other report,” Mzinyathi said.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Velekhaya Mgobhozi did not respond to enquiries at the time of publication, although he did state he was surprised that there were two reports compiled by the same person.