A former senior Ekurhuleni metro official told the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Tuesday he was warned that some people were trying to oust then-police chief Robert McBride.
The Ekurhuleni metro’s previous municipal manager, Patrick Flusk, was appearing at the CCMA in Johannesburg in a bid by McBride to get his job back.
Flusk told the CCMA he was warned before he started his job that there were people trying to remove McBride from his position. Flusk said the day before he started his job in 2006, he met the former mayor Duma Nkosi and McBride.
‘He [Nkosi] said there [are] a number of people who will try to put pressure on me to get him, McBride, out of the way,†said Flusk.
McBride, who is in the throes of a drunken-driving trial, believes his five-year contract as police chief should have been extended on the grounds of a verbal understanding. This would be in line with the renewal extended to former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi, who faced corruption charges while still in his post.
Instead, McBride was fired last September and paid out the remainder of his contract until it would have expired in November.
McBride had a car accident in Centurion outside Pretoria in December 2006, which led to him being charged with drunken driving, defeating the ends of justice and fraud.
He was placed on special leave for this to be resolved, but was fired in September 2008 when he returned to work while on leave to help during countrywide xenophobic attacks.
Referring to McBride’s contract expectations, he said he was at meetings where McBride’s contract was discussed.
‘I was present at many of these meetings where it was unequivocal that Mr McBride’s contract shall be extended until the end of the trial.â€
He said if McBride won the criminal trial there would be further negotiations on his contract.
The metro is disputing this. — Sapa