The civil rights organisation lodged the complaint against Dr Dhlomo, the KZN Health MEC and former Surgeon General, Lieutenant-General Vejaynand Ramlakan in the wake of the trial of Dr Wouter Basson. Dr Basson was prosecuted by the HPCSA for his actions during apartheid. Both men, who were practising as doctors during the attacks are still registered as medical practitioners.
Both Dhlomo and Ramlakan admitted before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) they had supplied explosive devices for a series of attacks during the ANC’s ‘Operation Butterfly’. Along with seven other applicants, the men applied for amnesty relating to 11 incidents, which included the bombing of Grosvenor Girls on 24 October, 1985 and the Mobeni Post Office on 8 December, 1985.
Dhlomo was granted amnesty by the TRC for supplying explosives to Zinto Cele, Mandlenkosi Ndimande and Sibusiso Mazibuko for the Grosvenor bombing, which claimed Cele and Ndimande’s lives and injured Mazibuko. He also transportedAndrew Zondo, responsible for the Amanzimtoti bomb which had killed five people and injured nine, from the Swaziland border to Durban.
“Our complaints are aimed at protecting the constitutional principle of equality before the law. If the HPCSA is going to act on ethical grounds against Wouter Basson for his role in the conflict of the past, it is only fair to expect of them to act on ethical grounds against other medical practitioners who were involved in bombings during the same conflict, where people were hurt or killed, or where the possibility existed that people might have been hurt or killed,” said AfriForum CEO, Kallie Kriel.
The HPCSA confirmed receipt of the complaint. “We have received a complaint and it will follow due legal processes,” said chief operations officer, Advocate Tshepo Boikanyo.
– erinh@dbn.caxton.co.za