Khuba tells Zondo Ntlemeza said ‘political principals’ wanted him to head Ipid
Khuba says Ntlemeza later told him the political principals had changed their minds and wanted him to head the Hawks.
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 16: Suspended Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) boss Robert McBride and his co-accused, Matthew Sesoko and Innocent Khuba during their appearance at the Pretoria Magistrate Court on March 16, 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. McBride, Sesoko and Khuba are being investigated by the Hawks for fraud. (Photo by Gallo Images / Beeld / Lisa Hnatowicz)
Limpopo head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) Innocent Khuba on Thursday told the commission of inquiry into state capture that former Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza told him that “political principals” wanted him to head the Ipid.
Khuba told the chairperson of the commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, that the position of the executive director of Ipid was vacant at the time Ntlemeza mentioned this.
Koekie Mbeki was acting in the position following Francois Beukman’s resignation in 2012. However, during that period, Mbeki was no longer attending work because “she had taken an offer somewhere but she continued performing the work of Ipid”, Khuba said.
Khuba told the commission that when Ntlemeza told him about his appointment as executive director of Ipid he was happy about this because he thought he was going to work with somebody he knew after having worked with them at provincial level.
“On that particular day, he said he wanted to tell me that the political principals have changed their minds, he will not be joining Ipid, he will be joining the Hawks,” Khuba told the commission.
Khuba said around September or October 2013 Ntlemeza had told him he would be appointed as the executive director of Ipid and that soon after the former Hawks head had told him this he also spoke about him being appointed to head the Hawks.
“He never put the word ‘application’, he talked about political principals that they wanted him to head Ipid,” Khuba told Zondo, adding that even the advertisement for the post was not mentioned during their conversation.
Khuba said at some stage Ntlemeza enquired about the progress he was making in finalising a report following his probe into the illegal rendition of Zimbabweans in 2010 because the delay in that report being complete was holding up his, Ntlemeza’s, appointment to head the Hawks.
“I found it very, very strange,” Khuba said, adding, however, that he did not pay much attention to this, though it stayed on his mind.
The Zimbabwe rendition matter relates to the abduction and illegal deportation of at least four Zimbabweans.
During November 2010 and January 2011, several Zimbabweans were allegedly abducted and handed over to Zimbabwean police by their South African counterparts.
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