New KZN Hawks head despite Booysen ruling

Durban - Despite a Durban High Court ruling setting aside Major-General Johan Booysen’s suspension from his position as head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal, a new head was appointed as of January 1.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, on Thursday confirmed its appointment of Major-General Jabulani Zikhali as provincial head in KwaZulu-Natal.

Hawks spokesman, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the Daily News all provincial head posts were never permanent positions but a five-year contracts, which were renewed depending on one’s performance.

“Anyone in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is given the opportunity to apply.”

This was in response to the question how someone could be appointed to a position that the court had ruled Booysen could not be suspended from.

In September, the national head of the Hawks, Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza, suspended Booysen over a fraud allegation.

Booysen challenged this in the Durban High Court and in November, Judge Anton van Zyl ruled that Booysen’s suspension be set aside and, pending the outcome of any disciplinary proceedings instituted by the police against him, Booysen could not be suspended.

Soon after this ruling, the Hawks indicated their intention to apply for leave to appeal against this decision. Arguments in the matter are expected to be heard next week.

Booysen had contended that the decision to suspend him was unlawful because it was taken “for some ulterior purpose” and was not one Ntlemeza could have reasonably arrived at if he had considered the relevant facts, including Booysen’s written representations before his suspension.

Booysen had claimed in court papers that his suspension over a typographical error on a document he did not author or sign, was yet another attempt to stop him investigating corruption involving senior police officers, and KZN provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni.

The judge found there was a strong suggestion of an ongoing move, “possibly even a campaign to unseat” Booysen.

But, he said, there was insufficient evidence before the court to draw firm conclusions in this regard.

On Thursday, Booysen said he had found it strange that he was shortlisted for the position of national head, but was not even shortlisted for his own post. “I’m confident that the leave to appeal will not be successful as the judgment is sound,” he said.

*Comment on our Facebook and Twitter pages. See links below.