Nathi Nhleko ‘based Anwa Dramat’s suspension on wrong Ipid report’

Former minister of police Nathi Nhleko suspended former Hawks head Anwa Dramat in December 2014, stating through his spokesperson that the decision had been based on recommendations made by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

Former Ipid head Robert McBride on Thursday told the commission of inquiry into state capture that the former minister’s spokesperson stated that Dramat was suspended on recommendations by an Ipid report which implicated the former Hawks head in the illegal rendition of Zimbabweans in 2010.

The 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.

Zimbabwean security forces killed Witness Ndeya. Shepherd Tshuma was tortured and released. Prichard Tshuma is also believed to have been killed. Gordon Dube, who was suspected of involvement in the murder of Bulawayo serious fraud squad head Lawrence Chatikobo, was handed to Zimbabwe’s police.

Dramat, former Gauteng Hawks head Shadrack Sibiya and Hawks cross-border desk head Leslie “Cowboy” Maluleke were investigated in relation to the operation.

An initial report on the matter recommended that they all be charged criminally. However, after taking up office as the Ipid head, McBride was briefed on the case, he reviewed it and completed a second report which did not make such a recommendation, McBride said.

McBride told the commission that he could not find prima facie evidence that Dramat and Sibiya had committed any crime, hence he recommended that they should not be prosecuted. However, he said he recommended that Maluleke should be held accountable.

McBride said soon after Nhleko took up the position in the police ministry, he requested the former Ipid head to send him the report on the matter, which he did, sending the second report to the former minister.

A few weeks later, the minister’s spokesperson announced that Dramat was suspended based on recommendations by an Ipid report, McBride said, adding that this prompted him and the spokesperson of the directorate to issue a public statement contradicting the announcement.

McBride told the commission that he later learned that the minister had based his decision on the initial provisional report which was incomplete because it did not include exculpatory evidence.

He further said following Dramat’s suspension, he, at a later stage, suggested to Nhleko that the minister had erred on Dramat’s suspension, but Nhleko was dismissive of this suggestion.

Nhleko then suspended McBride on March 25, 2015, accusing the former Ipid head of misleading the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) by allegedly altering his original rendition reports implicating Sibiya and Dramat.

In January 2015, Sibiya was also suspended, however, these suspensions were subsequently overturned by court rulings.

McBride told the commission that Dramat was eventually forced out of the Hawks and he was replaced by Berning Ntlemeza.

Watch the proceedings live courtesy of the SABC:

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