Hawks replace Gauteng head with alleged NPA leaker Prince Mokotedi

03 February 2016 - 13:04 By TMG Digital

The new head of the Hawks crime-fighting directorate in Gauteng is Prince Mokotedi‚ who previously resigned from the National Prosecuting Authority in the face of a disciplinary hearing. Mokotedi was the former head of the NPA’s Integrity Management Unit. He was facing a DC in 2014 for gross insubordination‚ dissemination of false and misleading information‚ and bringing the NPA into disrepute. These charges were dropped after he quit.The leakAccording to a Sapa report in 2014 on Mokotedi's resignation, he was suspended after a document on former prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach was leaked to the media. Mokotedi denied leaking it.A day before his suspension, The Star carried a report on the IMU document which recommended that Breytenbach be criminally charged for corruption, misconduct, conflict of interest, fraud, and racketeering.In the unit's report, Breytenbach is accused of soliciting a loan of $1 million (about R11m at the time) from businessman Nathan Kirsh, a complainant in two cases she was prosecuting.Breytenbach is also accused of accepting a R6.3m donation from Kirsh through the FW de Klerk Foundation towards legal fees in her labour dispute with the NPA.In April 2012, Breytenbach was suspended from the NPA and later faced a lengthy disciplinary hearing on 15 charges, which included failing to act impartially while investigating the Kumba Iron Ore Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights issue.She was accused of "improper relations" with Sishen's lawyer Mike Hellens.Breytenbach countered that this was related to her opposition to a decision to withdraw fraud and corruption charges against former police crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli.In May last year, a NPA disciplinary hearing found her not guilty on all the charges and she was allowed to return to work, only to find she was to be transferred.In the Labour Court, Breytenbach unsuccessfully applied to have her transfer overturned.Breytenbach left the NPA to join the Democratic Alliance as an MP.SibiyaThe former head of the Gauteng Hawks‚ Major-General Shadrack Sibiya‚ was accused of involvement in the illegal deportation of Zimbabwean suspects in 2010.Mapyane made five fraudulent travel claims in which he misrepresented the facts‚ having claimed to have used his private vehicle for official duties‚ whereas he used state vehicles‚ as well as having claimed for trip he did not undertake."Having been found him guilty of all five charges‚ the disciplinary committee’s verdict was to dismiss Mapyane with immediate effect."The National Head of the Hawks‚ Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza‚ said in a statement the outcome of the disciplinary hearing should be a lesson to other Hawks members that no form of fraud‚ corruption and or misconduct will be tolerated in the directorate.“We welcome the verdict and we will now put the matter behind us. Now we can all focus our energy in preventing and combatting all serious crimes to make South Africa a better country. We trust that all our members will not be found to be involved in any fraudulent or corrupt activities. No one is above the law and the claws of the law are out to root out all corruption within pour ranks”‚ said Lieutenant General Ntlemeza...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.