He has yet to solve any. Joubert, asked this week to investigate the claims of dissident policeman Lieutenant Gregory Rockman, is known in opposition circles as the South African Police’s ”Mr Fix-it”. He is entrusted with all politically sensitive cases, including crimes against anti-apartheid organisations.
Some of the high-profile cases he is investigating are:
- The assassination on May 1 of Wits academic David Webster;
- The bombing of Cosatu House in 1987;
- The arson attack on the headquarters of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, Khanya House, early last year;
- The covert issuing of various statements on the telex machines of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, and from which the union federation has distanced itself; and
- The explosion at Khotso House last year.
No-one has been arrested or charged for any of these incidents. This week Joubert was given his latest task: to head the investigation into the complaints of about 40 angry ”coloured” police officers, who met Minister of Law and Order Adriaan Vlok this week. One of those in the delegation to the minister was Mitchells Plain policeman Rockman and Colonel John Manuel, South Africa’s top ”coloured” policeman. Joubert’s latest appointment is to investigate Rockman’s attack on the actions of his colleagues last week. Joubert, who is based at police headquarters in Pretoria, is the senior deputy commissioner of the detective branch.
According to Captain Reg Crewe of the police public relations division in Pretoria, Joubert is ”an experienced investigator. This is why he has been given the responsibility of looking into the case in Cape Town.” According to souces, Joubert is a shy officer who is careful of what he says. He joined the police force in 1955 as a uniformed policeman and moved to the detective branch in 1958. Joubert has spent more than 30 years in the force and has received awards of good service, including the prestigious SOE. But he has not had much luck with investigations into the attacks on anti apartheid groups and individuals. Although there was speculation on the part of the police that a trained guerrilla was spotted in Khotso House before the attack there, this has not led to a prosecution and the case remains unsolved.
A lawyer and member of the independent board of investigation into informal repression told the Weekly Mail this week he had requested a progress report from Joubert on the attack on Khanya House on behalf of his clients, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, and had not received any indication of progress. ”There is still no prosecution and that is the bottom line for us,” the lawyer said. According to sources the investigation into the bombing of Khanya House has now focused on Strijdom Square killer, Barend Strydom. The lack of progress into finding the killer of David Webster has led to criticism and claims that the police have not pursued the case as strongly as it could.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
