OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Wednesday 10.00pm.
JUSTICE Minister Dullah Omar has dismissed newspaper reports that said he doubted that it was appropriate for a judge to remain at the head of the Heath Special Investigative Unit.
Judge Willem Heath, interviewed on SABC TV, said that it had come as a surprise “that the Minister doubts the appropriateness of a judge as head of the unit”. He said he knew nothing of it until he saw reports in the press, and found the reports “disturbing”. Also on SABC TV, Omar angrily dismissed the reports as “a lot of rubbish” and “completely untrue”. His comments were taken out of context, he said, besides which, they were more than a month old.
On the contrary, he said, far from wishing to cast a shadow over the work of the Heath unit, he planned to give it more funding, more resources “and more teeth”.
Presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana said in a statement that unit had been established by President Nelson Mandela in 1996 because it was felt that additional mechanisms were needed to intensify the fight against corruption.
“The reality of the situation is now you have the Heath special investigating unit, the police and the public protector. Sometimes we even appoint commissions of inquiry and you even have Parliament. The duplication that is taking place is unbelievable,” Mankahlana said.
“We are not saying that the Heath Commission or the Public Protector must die, all we want is to maximise efficiency and rationalise our structures.” Mankahlana said the government wants to strengthen it so that it becomes even more efficient.