INLSA
Johan Boysen
Provincial Hawks head Major-General Johan Booysen’s job could be on the line in what could be the onset of a possible purge relating to allegations that a “death squad” was operating from the organised crime unit based at Cato Manor.
Booysen confirmed yesterday he had been served with a “notice of intended suspension” letter, giving him five days to respond to certain allegations.
It has also been confirmed that Hawks head Anwa Dramat is permanently shutting down the Cato Manor unit and that all 24 police officers working there are to be transferred to the organised crime unit’s head office in central Durban.
This, Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela said, was “because of the stigma attached to it as a result of media reports and the subsequent investigation.”
In a separate development, the head of crime intelligence in KwaZulu-Natal, Major-General Deena Moodley, has been served with a similar notice about allegations unrelated to Cato Manor.
Moodley and Booysen were both appointed to their positions by suspended national police commissioner General Bheki Cele.
Booysen – who has more than 34 years’ experience as a policeman, has worked in the murder and robbery unit and the crime intelligence unit and has received awards and accolades – was served with his intention-to-suspend letter on Sunday evening. Attorney Carl van der Merwe, who acts for both Booysen and Moodley, said the letters were being “challenged” and responses were being prepared.
He declined to comment further, but The Mercury understands that the allegations Booysen has to answer involve negligence – or failing to act – in connection with the alleged death squad.
Police shootings, particularly by members of the Cato Manor unit, have been in the spotlight for a number of years, but came to the fore last year when a weekend newspaper published photographs of what were said to be “post-killing celebrations”.
The photographs appeared to be from the same disc used in an alleged attempt by former SAPS supply chain management head Colonel Navin Madhoe and Umhlanga businessman Thoshan Panday to bribe Booysen. Madhoe and Panday are both also suspects in an investigation of an alleged R60 million police accommodation tender fraud.
The bribery and fraud cases are being investigated by organised crime and crime intelligence.
The policemen in the photographs were immediately transferred and Dramat launched an internal investigation, appointing General Jan Mabula to head a team just before Christmas last year.
Polela confirmed yesterday that the action against Booysen was connected to Mabula’s investigation. “We cannot elaborate. This is an internal matter and processes have to be followed. It is unfortunate that this has got to the media,” he said.
At the same time as Mabula’s probe, the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) said it would relook some of the police shooting cases. Some of the Cato Manor policemen involved in the shooting of suspects have been re-interviewed, but none has been suspended or charged.
In the meantime, the ICD has also instituted action against officials from its KZN office for apparently failing to properly handle investigations into police shootings carried out by the Cato Manor unit.
While Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa was quoted in a weekend newspaper report as saying that the KZN head of the ICD had been suspended, ICD spokesman Moses Dlamini said yesterday that no suspensions had been effected yet.
He confirmed that two officials from the KZN office had been served with letters declaring an intention to suspend them last week, but declined to say what had brought on the action.
It is believed that the senior officials have been called to account about how they handled the investigations and whether proper processes were followed. He said the officials had been given the opportunity to respond.
“The responses are under consideration and no decision on the suspensions has been made yet.”
Dlamini declined to confirm the names of the officials.
Commenting on the death squad allegations in a weekend newspaper report, Mthethwa was reported as saying it was untenable to have such claims without action being taken against the officers.
“We can’t have a situation where you are told there is a problem here but you’ve never had one single police officer facing the music and no police have been arrested to date in connection with those things,” he said
He said the ICD team tasked to review the shooting investigations was working hard.
“I’m satisfied with the work that is being done,” he said.
