EDITORIAL: Well done, Gen Lebeya

In a crime-ridden country like ours it is unusual for the police leadership to receive praise for a job well done. But Gen Godfrey Lebeya, the outgoing head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation or the Hawks, is worthy of that.

Lebeya leaves his job on Friday when his term expires, having led the Hawks with integrity and diligence since 2018. An advocate of the high court, he brought to the job a rare combination of skills: ethical leadership, commitment, policing and legal.

Unlike his predecessors, he was open to ideas including working with the private sector in fighting crime and corruption. Importantly, he restored the unit’s credibility.

At its inception in the 1990s, the unit, then known as the Scorpions, enjoyed successes including clamping down on gangs in the Western Cape. But as its successes grew, the unit became the target of politicians. After the ousting of Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma’s supporters set out to weaken it. Weak appointments were made such as Berning Ntlemeza, Lebeya’s predecessor who left in disgrace and has since joined the African Congress for Transformation party.

A campaign to dismantle the Hawks included moving it from the National Prosecuting Authority and making it part of the police service. As was the case with national police commissioners, none of the many Hawks heads completed their terms. Most left because of political interference by police ministers and after butting heads with the commissioners.

When Lebeya took over, the bar was low. He worked hard to raise it while skilfully navigating the politics of the job, and worked well under Bheki Cele and, briefly, Senzo Mchunu.

His success cannot be measured only in the numbers of arrests and prosecutions. It should also be measured in terms of the stability of the Hawks as an elite police unit. His successor has big shoes to fill.