Former Hawks head Ntlemeza comes out fighting
Ntlemeza rejects the ruling that his appointment was unlawful, while police minister tells him to go home
The standoff between Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and Berning Ntlemeza will come to a head on Tuesday, when the embattled ousted chief of the elite Hawks crime-fighting unit reports for work. On Thursday, Mbalula appointed an acting head of the Hawks following a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria that Ntlemeza was unfit to hold office. The court ruled that Ntlemeza be removed immediately as the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, commonly referred to as the Hawks. The court found that his appointment was unlawful and irrational. According to weekend reports, Ntlemeza refused to vacate the office and said only Parliament could remove him. He said he intended to report for duty on Tuesday and remain in his position until 2022, when his term officially ends. Soon after the court ruling, Mbalula announced the appointment of Ntlemeza’s second-in-command, Lt-Gen Yolisa Matakata, as acting head of the Hawks. Ntlemeza’s insistence that he remains Hawks boss means ...
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