Gustav Thiel
A special task team investigating murder, corruption and cover-ups by police in the Northern Cape say their efforts will come to naught because they implicate the commissioner of police, Johan Deyzel, in their report.
The most serious allegation probed by the team involves 1994 claims by policemen that a disused Kimberley mine-shaft which serviced the Big Hole was used by police to dispose of the bodies of street kids and vagrants they killed.
The team was appointed by Northern Cape Premier Manne Dipico after a group of detectives raised concern about the conduct of members of the Kimberley anti-corruption unit.
It was chaired by advocate Tebogo Rakgoale, and his deputy was Ross Henderson, a South African National Civic Association leader.
The murder claim made international headlines in 1994, but no one has yet been prosecuted. The task team is satisfied that evidence by Constable Bevan Neels, implicating a Sergeant van der Westhuizen, should be strong enough to warrant further investigation.
Their report states: Neels explained how he and some members of his team attached to the former internal stability unit used to pick up street kids and vagrants from the streets in Kimberley and had them thrown down a disused mine-shaft.
Although a special investigations unit investigated Neelss claims, no action was taken against the policemen. The bottom of the disused mine-shaft was never searched, because a rockfall made it according to investigating officer Superintendent Fritz Rost too expensive to do so.
The task team recommended that the bottom of the shaft be investigated in the interests of justice. They believe it would not be as expensive as Rost alleges.
We wish to state that the manner in which the investigations were conducted as well as the results thereof, leaves much to be desired, said Henderson.
Said Deyzel in response: A rotten apple is only a rotten apple if proved beyond all reasonable doubt that it is rotten.
Deyzel, said Henderson, supports no further investigation of the mine-shaft incident, which proves his unwillingness to act on police corruption.
Henderson added that the task team received, in most cases, documented proof of the allegations which should be strong enough evidence to prove the corruption and move the authorities to act on them.
The task team also found that the police in the Northern Cape are involved in drug smuggling. Several accusations of racism were levelled against white police officers.
The task team first met Deyzel on January 13 this year where their expectations was discussed. Hendersons and Deyzels versions of what was agreed at this and other subsequent meetings differ vastly.
Deyzel, in his response to the task teams report being made public, said the members of the team were told from the outset that they would have no investigative powers and that they signed a confidentiality clause, prohibiting them from making details of their report public.
Deyzel also claimed he was responsible for the appointment of the task team after consultation with National Commissioner of Police George Fivaz.
Hendersons version of what transpired before the commission was appointed differs radically from Deyzels. In the first place, although I was very happy and honoured to serve on the commission, I would never have done so if Deyzel appointed it. It is untrue that we signed a confidentiality clause, but, even so, it was Dipico and not us who went to the press with our report.
Now Deyzel says that we did not have investigative powers, which is fine if something is done about our recommendations, but his reactions smack of another major cover-up by the police of their own members actions, said Henderson.
A statement by Sergeant Peter Langeveld to the task team implicated Deyzel in misconduct and led to a recommendation that his actions be investigated internally.
The task teams report states: Langeveld is a detective sergeant attached to the criminal investigations unit in Kimberley. On 29 November 1996 he was part of a group of black detectives who marched to the Northern Cape provincial police commissioner Johan Deyzel to present a memorandum.
The commissioner did not want to accept the memorandum and ordered the group of policemen to leave the premises. Langeveld then said: Comrades let us leave. The commissioner then grabbed Langeveld at the front of his jacket and pulled him towards his office and threatened to assault him.
Two of Langevelds colleagues, sergeants Wandile Dungu and Neville Fritz, made statements to the task team confirming that Deyzel had assaulted Langeveld. The incident was reported to the police and referred to the attorney generals office, who declined to prosecute.
Henderson added that the case against Deyzel was compounded because he had already been the subject of an investigation after verbally abusing a journalist.
Although Deyzel intends to discuss the task teams report with Fivaz and has also referred it to the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) for further investigation, Henderson is adamant that Deyzel is out to discredit the task team to ensure that neither the ICD nor Fivaz will act on their recommendations.
The ICD only received the report last week and said it was too early to comment.