Hawks boss in KZN fights move to suspend him

KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Major-General Johan Booysen is desperately fighting a bid to suspend him.

Initially served with a "notice of intention to suspend" him two weeks ago, Booysen won an interdict in the Durban Labour Court on Friday preventing the Hawks from carrying out the suspension.

His lawyer, Carl van der Merwe, said: "We wanted more details about what they say he did wrong. [This order] compels them to give us the information we require before March 1."

Though Booysen is not a suspect in the 51 suspicious killings being investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), he is accused of not acting in cases of alleged misconduct involving the unit.

A number of the Cato Manor police have also been given a "notice of intention to suspend" them on the grounds of using excessive force. They are also being represented by Van der Merwe.

In his defence, Booysen has shifted the blame for not knowing about the deaths to Colonel Rajen Aiyer. He said Aiyer headed the unit at the time. But Aiyer, ironically, reported directly to Booysen.

Aiyer told the Sunday Times he had tried to close the unit several times, but had been blocked by Booysen.

"I have documentary proof for it, but General Booysen ordered me not to [close the unit]," he said.

Aiyer said he was repeatedly "undermined" by Booysen, with the unit "taking orders from General Booysen and reporting directly to him".

"I am sick and tired of General Booysen slandering my good name in the media ... [he] was my senior and I reported everything to him and followed his orders."

In one case, Aiyer said, taxi owner Bongani Mkhize was gunned down by the unit in Durban's Umgeni Road in February 2009 - after Mkhize had successfully obtained an extraordinary court interdict to stop the police "unlawfully killing, injuring, threatening or harassing him".

Booysen arrived at the scene of the murder shortly afterwards, according to Aiyer, who said: "How did [he] get to crime scene without me? [Booysen] went to the crime scene and I didn't."

Asked why the Hawks had not provided Booysen with detailed reasons for his suspension, as alleged in his court application, spokesman McIntosh Polela said it was an "internal matter".

Polela rejected claims that the suspensions of the policemen would lead to a crime spree in the city.

"It is foolhardy to suggest that the removal of a small number of policemen ... will result in a province being overrun by criminals." - Mzilikazi wa Afrika, Stephan Hofstatter, Rob Rose