The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has rejected a report that its head, Menzi Simelane, asked suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli’s staff to spy on Pikoli.
”Director General Menzi Simelane rejects allegations … regarding matters related to the National Prosecuting Authority [NPA] and suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli,” it said in a statement.
The Mail & Guardian reported on Friday that Simelane had asked Pikoli’s staff to ”spy on him”; helped the African National Congress with anti-Scorpions submissions; and told President Thabo Mbeki the NPA was ”after him”.
The justice department said Simelane was of the view ”that the report was written in a dishonest way”. The director general had never contacted any NPA staff to discuss Pikoli’s activities.
”The DG [director general] further denies having met with an NPA member to discuss or enquire of Pikoli’s plans in certain cases.
”The report also alleges that the DG had told President Thabo Mbeki that ‘the NPA was after him’. In government, DGs report to the minister. The DG has never had an audience with the president, nor is he in a position to influence the president in any matter.”
The department said Simelane dissociated himself from what it called a misleading report and ”urges the media, the public and public institutions to refer to factual information as it is presented in mandated fora, such as the Ginwala Inquiry”. — Sapa