The head of Cape Town’s metro police, Bongani Jonas, has been suspended until the end of September following his appearance in court on a fraud charge.
The former army general is accused of illegally converting his heavy duty military driver’s licence to a civilian equivalent.
He appeared in the Carletonville Magistrate’s Court on August 12, and the case was postponed to September 26.
The city said in a statement on Friday that Jonas was being suspended ”in the light of criminal charges he is facing in the court in Carletonville and an ongoing internal investigation into related matters”.
”The suspension on full pay does not imply guilt or innocence,” it said.
”An agreement on his suspension was reached between city manager Achmat Ebrahim and [Jonas] in the interests of the city’s residents, public confidence in the metro police and service delivery continuity.”
His deputy, Pinky Mathabathe, would take over as acting head. — Sapa