Court 'had no right to dump Ntlemeza'

Suspended Hawks boss Berning Ntlemeza has felt inadequate and lacks self-esteem since the Pretoria High Court ordered his removal from office.

This is claimed in his application to the Supreme Court of Appeal, in Bloemfontein, for leave to appeal the High Court order.

His lawyer, Comfort Ngidi, filed the application last month. An affidavit by Ntlemeza is attached.

"My career as a policeman is now entirely in the hands of this honourable court. I have served my country faithfully, patriotically and with distinction for a period of more than 35 years," said Ntlemeza in the affidavit.

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"The decision by the court has been a devastating blow to not only me but my family and to the country as a whole.

"I now find myself inadequate with a very low self-esteem and a perpetual blemish. The reputation I have built over the years without a blemish has now been shattered at the time when I am in the afternoon of my career as a policeman."

Ngidi contends in the court papers that the High Court did not have the jurisdiction to order Ntlemeza's removal .

"The court committed an error in granting the enforcement order because the removal of the national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the Hawks] is regulated by the provisions of section 17DA of the SA Police Service Act," he said.

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In March, the Pretoria High Court reviewed and set aside Ntlemeza's appointment as head of the Hawks. That judgment followed a High Court ruling in 2015 that found he had lied under oath and lacked integrity.

Ntlemeza has also launched a High Court application seeking an interdict against Police Minister Fikile Mbalula barring him from entering the Hawks' head office and frominterfering with his duties.