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AfriForum demands answers on the progress of SAPS probe, five years since Senzo Meyiwa was murdered
Lobby group AfriForum has given Police Minister Bheki Cele a month to wrap up the investigation into the murder of Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa or hand over the docket to a new team of investigators.
The ultimatum comes after the current police investigators said they needed almost a year to conclude their work.
They said this in a meeting with AfriForum held last week.
AfriForum’s private prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, his colleagues and a police investigation team led by Brigadier Tony Perumal, met last Monday at the civil rights organisation’s offices in Centurion to discuss the case.
A source privy to the meeting said Nel asked the SA Police Service (SAPS) team “probing” questions.
“But they refused to reveal details regarding the status of their investigation saying it could compromise their work. But [they said they] will do so at the right time. They also wanted Afriforum’s investigation unit to share with the police what it had uncovered,” said the source.
The lack of answers and vague responses agitated Nel who then wrote to Cele complaining about the case, the source said.
City Press has seen the letter from Afriforum to Cele dated January 30.
“We find it unacceptable that Brigadier Perumal boldly presents his investigation plan as a further one-year extension five years after Meyiwa was killed a a house while visiting his girlfriend in Vosloorus which, despite the National Director of Public Prosecutions’ [Shamila Batohi] expectations, will only result in the handover of the docket to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) before Christmas this year,” Nel wrote.
“You are kindly requested to intervene and to ensure that the investigation is finalised within a month and the docket is handed over to the NPA or alternatively, share the strategy to enable us to evaluate the possible advantage of a further delay of a year ... a change to the management of the investigation team is apposite.”
Nel told Cele that the SAPS senior management task team led by Perumal, left them “flabbergasted” as he indicated that “he would not provide the family of the deceased with any feedback because of reasons he would not disclose”.
“Adding to the confusion, Brigadier Perumal later in the meeting then indicated that he would only speak to the family when ‘I have something meaningful’. The only inference taken [from that] ... is that his investigation is currently meaningless,” he wrote.
Nel argued that the SAPS had undoubtedly failed to make any meaningful progress in the five years since Meyiwa’s tragic death.
Batohi, National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole and Advocate George Baloyi, the acting director of public prosecutions in Gauteng, were copied in the letter.
According to Nel, AfriForum had earlier been told by Batohi that the investigation had been completed and the police investigation docket was on her desk or that of Baloyi.
However, they later learnt from the police that the docket would only be returned to the NPA when the case was “fully investigated”.
Nel said there seemed to be no communication between the SAPS team and the NPA.
City Press understands that the team of Andrew Leask, the former Scorpions investigator who now works for AfriForum’s private investigative unit, has informally started compiling a case file.
“The idea is to be ready in case the police and the NPA fail to act. They have already started obtaining witness statements,” the source told City Press.
Police spokesperson Mathapelo Peters confirmed that Cele’s office had received the letter from Nel.
In a statement Cele said: “I insist that the SAPS are on track on this matter and working closely with the NPA to bring whoever is responsible to book.”
The minister said the SAPS understood the pain felt by the Meyiwa family, the fallen keeper’s friends and the nation because his killers were still at large.
Cele said Sitole and the NPA were working closely with the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola to ensure justice for Meyiwa.
“While we have taken note of the criticism in some quarters around the duration of bringing this case to a close, we as the SAPS remain resolute in our work and will not allow external distractions to get in the way of bringing closure to the Meyiwa family,” Cele said.
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Abram MashegoSenior journalist | City Press | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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