Hawks statement on coup plotter ‘absurd’: ISS

27 April 2017 - 18:04 By Kyle Cowan
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A Hawks police vehicle. File Photo.
A Hawks police vehicle. File Photo.
Image: Gallo Images / Beeld / Felix Dlangamandla

A statement issued by the Hawks on Wednesday afternoon regarding the arrest of a 33-year-old Pretoria man for allegedly plotting the assassinations of 19 South African politicians and prominent business people has been labelled as ‘absurd’ by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS).

“I thought it was absurd and quite fantastical and I really was astounded. It’s something you really battle to understand‚” ISS’ Gareth Newham told TimesLIVE on Thursday.

“I don’t think it was a serious attempt‚” he said‚ saying it just did not seem plausible that anyone plotting a murder would approach businesses for money beforehand.

In the statement‚ spokesman for the Hawks Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the suspect in question‚ who is expected to appear in court on Friday‚ had lobbied private businesses for funding for his plot to the tune of R140-million.

He called the venture the Anti-state Capture Death Squad Alliance‚ Mulaudzi said.

“It could be someone who has mental health problems or it could be something being set up by Zuma supporters in order to make him look like a victim‚” Newham explained.

“It really is at this point a difficult statement by the Hawks to get your head around.”

Newham said that one would like to receive a statement from the Hawks and trust that a professional investigation was being done and that no-one in the top notch crime investigations team was playing to a ‘political agenda’.

  • BREAKING: Hawks arrest 'coup plotter' planning to assassinate prominent South AfricansThe Hawks arrested a “coup plotter” on Wednesday who was allegedly planning to assassinate 19 people including members of the cabinet‚ state owned entities and prominent South Africans. 

“The way it is written just sort of comes across as if they are trying to make out that there is this big plot against these people.

“Is it one person who is playing a game? Was he put up to it to throw a smokescreen? “

He said the lack of information‚ particularly as to the motives of the so-called coup plotter‚ was extremely interesting.

TimesLIVE understands that‚ among others‚ the ‘hit list’ includes President Jacob Zuma and his son‚ Duduzane as well as: former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe‚ former MP Vytjie Mentor‚ former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela‚ Eskom Chairman Ben Ngubane‚ mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane‚ former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas‚ co-operative governance minister Des van Rooyen as well as the influential Gupta family.

None of these individuals was immediately available for comment.

The so-called coup plotter will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday‚ the Hawks said in their statement‚ on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

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