Question NW1874 to the Minister of Police
23 September 2016 - NW1874
Robertson, Mr K to ask the Minister of Police
With reference to his reply to question 671 on 1 April 2016, (a) why did the investigation of CAS 31/12/2015 opened at the Lothair Police Station in Mpumalanga involving the Minister of State Security’s security convoy take nine months to investigate, (b) what were the findings of the specified case and (c) why has the Independent Police Investigative Directorate done nothing regarding the further investigation of the specified case?
Reply:
(a) The case docket, Lothair CAS 31/12/2015 (Culpable Homicide) was received back on 29 January 2016 at Lothair Detective Service for further investigation. The investigation was then conducted and concluded and on 12 March 2016 the case docket was referred to the Senior Public Prosecutor for a decision on prosecution. On 21 July 2016 the case docket was received back from the Senior Public Prosecutor with certain requests. These requests were concluded and on 22 July 2016 the case docket was sent back to the Senior Public Prosecutor, who then requested a further report from a forensic expert. On 26 August 2016 the report of the forensic expert was received and the case docket handed back to the Senior Public Prosecutor for a decision on prosecution. This decision has not been made and the case docket is currently still with the Senior Public Prosecutor.
(b) The investigation has been concluded and the case docket is with the Senior Public Prosecutor for a decision on prosecution.
(c) The matter was registered under Lothair CAS 31/12/2015 and occurred on 23/12/2015 under the auspices that it being alleged that the VIP Driver from the SSA Minister’s security detail was employed by the SAPS VIP Unit. After further enquiries it was determined that the vehicle that was part of the security detail was registered to the National Intelligence Agency (SSA) in Pretoria and upon obtaining SAPS profile checks on the driver, it was established that the employment details of the VIP driver were also mentioned to be the SSA in Pretoria.
Documentary evidence was then sourced from the VIP driver as well as the SSA in Pretoria, as part of the IPID investigation, to confirm that the VIP driver was in fact employed at the SSA as a VIP Driver to the SSA Minister and was not a SAPS VIP Driver as initially alleged.
The IPID then updated and prepared the case docket and returned this to the Office of the Mpumalanga SAPS Provincial Commissioner for further investigations and handling as the alleged suspect (VIP Driver) was not a SAPS member and there was no indication of any apparent SAPS negligence or unprocedural handling of the investigation in Lothair CAS 31/12/2015 that could warrant the IPID to continue with the case docket.