Paul Kirk
Durban’s senior public prosecutor, Barend Groen, this week withdrew one of the criminal charges facing Piet Meyer, the disgraced former provincial commander of the organised crime unit, after the prosecution’s star witness was murdered.
Groen withdrew criminal charges relating to the disappearance of a suspected drug dealer and a quantity of cocaine.
Meyer, who is facing 17 criminal charges including fraud, defeating the ends of justice and theft, is out on bail.
The charge stemmed from an incident in which Meyer allegedly forced a policeman, Eric Tussie, to hand over a quantity of cocaine and a suspected drug dealer to him.
Although Tussie initially refused to do so, Meyer used his high rank to force Tussie to co-operate – but did not prevent Tussie from reporting the incident. It was Tussie who was shot two weeks ago.
Tussie, then the commander of the police intelligence unit at Point Road police station had, together with another policeman, arrested the suspect while she was attempting to sell 30g of high-grade cocaine.
Within seconds of the woman being arrested and taken to Point Road police station, Meyer arrived in Tussie’s office and demanded the suspect and the drugs be released into his custody.
Meyer also instructed the detectives to destroy all paperwork relating to the arrest. Neither the suspect not the cocaine were seen again. As a result of this Meyer was charged with defeating the ends of justice.
The incident occurred only a short period of time after Meyer – in near identical circumstances – secured the release of a tattoo artist who was arrested for firing an unlicensed Uzi sub-machine gun into the air while in the middle of the Durban CBD.
In that case Meyer demanded the suspect, Lucky Sylaides, and the Uzi be handed to him. Sylaides was never charged and the gun disappeared.
As a result of these incidents the station commissioner of Point Road police station, Senior Superintendent Brian Boucher, launched a probe into Meyer.
Boucher, whose affidavit helped nail Meyer, claimed that informers boasted Meyer was “Mr Big”, “the biggest gangster in Durban” and “Durban’s top independent drug dealer”.
Tussie was one of the few policemen brave enough to blow the whistle on Meyer.
Two weeks ago, Tussie was shot five times in the back after he broke up a fight outside a nightclub.
A reveller walked out the club and fired five shots at Tussie – apparently thinking he had assaulted his brother.
At the time Tussie had his back to the man. He had identified himself as a policeman and was calling for help on his cellphone. His killer was shot dead by Tussie’s partner.
Groen said he did not suspect the murder was linked to Meyer. “It is a very regrettable incident, but we do not suspect the killing is in any way linked to his evidence against Meyer. While the charge where Mr Tussie was a witness has been withdrawn we are still investigating other charges.”
This week Meyer was in the Durban Magistrate’s Court watching the trial of three of his co-accused former colleagues – Gavin Storrier, Jason MacGray and Joe
Kitching – who stand accused of robbing a man of R12 000. Meyer is due to go on trial later this year in the Durban High Court.