Ntlemeza not biased, dishonest: Nhleko

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko on Thursday described new Hawks boss Major General Mthandazo Ntlemeza as the “best performing candidate” for the job, brushing aside any doubts about his integrity in the light of a high court judge calling him a liar.

While announcing Ntlemeza’s permanent appointment to the position of head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), a position he has acted in since December 2014, Nhleko said the decision was based on him being a “career policeman”, among others.

“The gentleman that I’m presenting before you has 34 years experience as a police officer, something like 30 years in investigation and intelligence services…,” said Nhleko.

“General Ntlemeza registered alot of achievements in areas of crime detection and policing.”

In March this year, Ntlemeza lost an appeal in the high court in Pretoria against the suspension of Hawks Gauteng head Shadrack Sibiya. In his ruling, Judge Elias Matojane described Ntlemeza as a liar.

“In my view, the conduct of the third respondent (Ntlemeza) shows that he is biased and dishonest. To further show that the third respondent is dishonest and lacks integrity and honour, he made false statements under oath,” Matojane had said.

Nhleko dismissed the Judge’s description of Ntlemeza, saying that Matojane’s views were “comments” and not fact.

“The comments by the honourable judge, they were just comments. We do not know where that came from in the sense that one would have expected that for an example such matter or conclusions could have been arrived at after interrogation and cross-examining whatever the issues must have been…but also subsequently issue an order to that effect,” said Nhleko.

Nhleko’s office did share a memorandum which Ntlemeza had given the panel of cabinet ministers who had interviewed him directly dealing with the ruling.

In the memorandum, Ntlemeza said: “All these accusations were unfounded and baseless. Judge Matojane did not even give me an opportunity to deal with the accusations nor did he give my legal representatives an opportunity to address him on the accusations.”

Ntlemeza joined the police in 1981 in the then Transkei, and had since then worked in various policing functions including intelligence and detective services.

He was appointed acting Hawks head in December last year after his predecessor Anwa Dramat was suspended following an investigation into the illegal rendition of Zimbabwean nationals in 2010.

(File photo: Gallo Images)