INLSA
Suspended KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen. Picture: PURI DEVJEE
Durban – A “sensitive investigation” involving allegations of corruption, which at one stage KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni ordered be stopped, was the real reason why suspended provincial Hawks head Johan Booysen is facing criminal charges, he believes.
Booysen, for the first time, has detailed events which led up to his arrest on racketeering charges in August – charges he now says are completely without foundation and has launched court action to have stopped.
In his affidavit filed with the Durban High Court he says he “stepped on people’s toes” and now they want to get rid of him.
Booysen, a “career officer” with 37 years of uninterrupted service and an impeccable record, said the investigation into “procurement irregularities with the SAPS” began under his direction in March 2010 and initial investigations revealed possible corruption between senior police officers and a private individual.
While he does not disclose the details of the alleged fraud, or the people involved, it is widely understood that the investigation focused on allegations involving an alleged R60 million fraud perpetrated by uMhlanga businessman Thoshan Panday and supply chain policeman Navin Madhoe.
He says soon events “took some unusual turns”, with Ngobeni ordering him to stop the investigation and then a deputy national commissioner telling him to continue.
Later that same month, he gave a copy of a preliminary report into the investigation to Ngobeni. Two weeks later he was summonsed to her office where he was introduced to one of the suspects (Panday) and his lawyers.
“Ngobeni then instructed me to have the investigating officer (in the matter) investigated.”
Another two weeks went by and he received a call from the national commissioner of police at the time, Bheki Cele.
“He told me to continue with the investigation and not to entertain any interference. He further informed me that the investigators would report to me directly.”
He said Madhoe had subsequently attempted to bribe him to compromise the investigation. “He showed me some photographs which came from the SAPS database which he claimed would cause me some difficulties. I was not interested… and I was not perturbed by the photographs.”
Madhoe and Panday were arrested.
But then the photographs shown to him by Madhoe appeared in the Sunday Times in an article claiming the Cato Manor unit was a death squad and that he was complicit in their alleged actions.
Three generals were appointed to investigate the allegations. Booysen said he offered his full co-operation, but was never interviewed.
And then he was arrested and, along with 27 members of the Cato Manor Unit, charged with racketeering when there was no evidence in the docket to support such a charge.
“The only reasonable explanation is that the investigation (into the alleged procurement fraud) was sufficiently sensitive to cause me to tread on higher-ranking or ‘connected’ toes. Hence the conflicting orders to cease or continue with the investigation.
“I believe that the earlier attempts to suspend me (overturned by the Labour Court) were part of attempts to get me out of the way… the facts bear this out.”
* Charges have been provisionally withdrawn against Madhoe and Panday. The investigation into the alleged R60 million fraud is ongoing with no arrests made.
The Mercury
