30 Cato Manor cops back in court in October

Thirty police officers from the Durban Organised Crime Unit appeared in the Durban Regional Court on Friday.

The case against the officers, including the head of the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Johan Booysen, was postponed to October 29 to allow the prosecution time to provide the men's legal team with documentation of their case.

The men face more than 100 charges, including 14 of murder, 14 of unlawful possession of ammunition, 14 of unlawful possession of firearms, and four of housebreaking.

Early on Friday morning, family and friends of the officers were gathered outside the court building and the court room was packed to capacity with people being refused entry by security staff.

The Mercury newspaper reported on Friday that two police officers attached to the National Intervention Unit have briefed a lawyer to sue the state following their arrest along with officers of the Durban Organised Crime Unit.

The two men -- Dumisani Nzama and Vusi Ngondwana -- were arrested in June along with 18 members of the now disbanded Cato Manor branch of the unit.

Their names appeared on the indictment sheet at the first court appearance earlier this year, but Nzama and Ngondwana did not appear with the other members.

Shortly after that, the media was told that charges against them had been withdrawn.

The Mercury reported that attorney Malcolm Lutge had confirmed that he was representing the two men in a civil claim to be launched against Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

The men are all out on R5000 bail.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesman Moses Dlamini said Wednesday's arrests completed the IPID's investigations into the Cato Manor unit.