Hawks chief Ntlemeza's appointment set aside

The High Court in Pretoria has ruled that the appointment of Berning Ntlemeza as head of Hawks is invalid.

Ntlemeza was appointed head of Hawks in December 2014 by Police Minister Nathi Nhleko.

Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation brought the application to court.

They began their bid to have him removed about a year ago, when they approached the High Court in Pretoria, seeking his suspension pending a review of his suitability to hold office. When that bid failed in April 2016, they vowed to press on.

They were back in the same court in December, seeking a review of his appointment and arguing that the position required a person of integrity and honesty, which a previous court case had proved were attributes that Ntlemeza lacked.

High Court in Pretoria Judge Elias Matojane wrote in a judgment in Mach 2015 that the Hawks boss was "dishonest, lacking in integrity and dishonourable".