Nhleko’s Zondo commission testimony to deal mainly with Ipid reports on Zimbabwe renditions

Former minister of police Nathi Nhleko‘s testimony at the commission of inquiry into state capture is expected to deal mainly with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) reports on the alleged illegal rendition of Zimbabweans in 2010.

Nhleko has been implicated in testimony heard at the commission from former Ipid head Robert McBride, its head investigator Matthews Sesoko, and its investigator Innocent Khuba.

The alleged illegal rendition of Zimbabweans relates to the alleged abduction and illegal deportation of at least four Zimbabweans.

The Zimbabwe renditions from around 2010 or 2011 were reported by the Sunday Times which in 2018 issued an apology for the discredited reports and undertook to return the awards and prize money it received for articles it ran about the Cato Manor “death squad”, the Sars “rogue unit”, and Zimbabwean extraditions.

The media reports resulted in an investigation into the renditions which landed with the IPID which produced reports on the matter.

Soon after McBride’s appointment at Ipid in 2014, Nhleko took up the office in the ministry of police and established a team to look into the alleged altering of the Ipid reports on the renditions, ultimately the former minister appointed an external law firm, Werksmans Attorneys, to probe the issue further.

The outcome of the firm’s probe resulted in McBride, Sesoko and Khuba being suspended, however, the former Ipid head approached the court to have his suspension set aside, which it was.

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Evidence leader at the commission, advocate Garth Hulley told its chair, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that when the inquiry was established, Sesoko and Khuba lodged complaints with it regarding Nhleko’s alleged complicity in their suspension which was for ulterior motives.

Nhleko’s testimony is also expected to be in response to McBride’s evidence at the commission that he, the former minister, “improperly” established a “hit squad” to get rid of people at Ipid who were opposed to what the minister wanted to achieve at the time.

McBride also testified at the commission that the appointment of Werksmans Attorneys appears to have been improper and took issue with the outcome of its investigation as well as that Nhleko and the law firm “were in cahoots in order to achieve a particular outcome”, which was to institute criminal charges against him and his colleagues.

Hulley said a representative from the law firm is expected to take the witness stand at the commission on Wednesday.

Nhleko is also expected to deal with McBride’s testimony that former Hawks head Anwa Dramat was forced out of the Hawks and he was replaced by Berning Ntlemeza.

Furthermore, Nhleko will deal with how it appears as if he and Ntlemeza had been in communication leading to the latter’s appointment at the Hawks considering that Ntlemeza was aware of a “hit” on Dramat on 6 December 2014.

Hulley told Zondo that Nhleko disputes that he had influenced the executive director at Ipid to suspend Khuba or given an instruction that the latter be affected.

The proceedings continue, watch live courtesy of the SABC:

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