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/ 18 October 2007
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) fears party politics was behind the suspension of National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli, it said on Thursday. The way in which he was suspended raised ”serious suspicion” that the government may have intervened for ”narrow political reasons”, said spokesperson Patrick Craven.
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/ 17 October 2007
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula on Wednesday in the National Assembly rebuffed questions on why he would not suspend controversial police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, saying there is a process in place to deal with the matter.
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/ 17 October 2007
Clinton Nassif’s lawyer has refused to confirm ”dramatic new details” about his role in the September 2005 death of his boss, mining magnate Brett Kebble, supposedly contained in a draft affidavit leaked to the media on Wednesday. Lawyer Marius du Toit said Nassif’s legal team could not ”vouch for its correctness”.
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/ 16 October 2007
This is no time for panic, or for manic depression of the sort that Xolela Mangcu displayed in a column last weekend. This is politics, not rugby — so the national state of mind should be governed by clear-headed questions, not by the hyperbole of triumph and disaster. We must keep a sense of perspective.
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/ 16 October 2007
Western Cape police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Tuesday scoffed at claims that police are about to arrest Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya and deputy managing editor Jocelyn Maker. ”We wish to state that there is no truth in reports that [they] will be arrested and/or be brought before court this week,” NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said.
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/ 15 October 2007
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) plans to ask the Public Protector to investigate whether the Scorpions’ investigating unit has a political agenda and is abusing its power, the league said on Monday. Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the ANCYL was in the process of making an appointment with the Public Protector to discuss its concerns.
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/ 12 October 2007
Pikoli inquiry chairperson Frene Ginwala has dismissed a demand by Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille to recuse herself. Replying to a letter by Zille in this regard, Ginwala said letter had been drawn to her attention on Thursday night, ”though I had learnt of its contents via the media”.
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/ 12 October 2007
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has pledged his full cooperation with a panel of experts named on Friday to review a criminal probe against him. ”As an individual, I will fully cooperate with the members of the panel as announced … by the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority],” Selebi said in a statement.
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/ 12 October 2007
Media reports of parents incurring R300 fines for smacking their children are inaccurate, a senior African National Congress (ANC) member of Parliament’s social development portfolio committee said on Friday. Statements to that effect were ”quoted out of context”, MP Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said in a statement.
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/ 11 October 2007
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The Scorpions’ investigations into African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Jacob Zuma are calculated to undermine any leadership role he holds or is called to hold in the ANC, his lawyer said on Thursday. Michael Hulley said a recent meeting convened by the Scorpions was a matter of ”grave concern”.
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/ 11 October 2007
The Democratic Alliance has asked former speaker Frene Ginwala to recuse herself from chairing the Pikoli inquiry, and threatened legal action if she does not. Ginwala was appointed by President Thabo Mbeki to probe whether suspended National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head Vusi Pikoli is fit to hold office.
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/ 11 October 2007
Government spokesperson Themba Maseko admitted on Thursday that the authorities were worried about the damage being done to the country’s international image by the ongoing saga surrounding suspended National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli and police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
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/ 11 October 2007
There was no need for President Thabo Mbeki to make any statements on the suspension of Vusi Pikoli, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, the Cabinet has decided. Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the Cabinet urged the public to be patient.
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/ 10 October 2007
Parents will have to cough up at least R300 for giving children a clip on the ear if they are prosecuted under the proposed Children’s Act, a media report said on Tuesday. The new law stipulates that no form of corporal punishment is legal and a child may not be punished in a way that is ”cruel, inhuman or degrading”.
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s office has rejected claims that police regulations require Selebi’s suspension while allegations against him are being investigated. Selebi’s spokesperson Director Sally de Beer said on Tuesday a Freedom Front Plus statement in this regard was incorrect.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday accused Director General in the Presidency Frank Chikane of concealing information and deliberately trying to mislead opposition parties. On September 25, Chikane had invited opposition party leaders to a briefing on the controversial decision to suspend the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Vusi Pikoli.
South African President Thabo Mbeki came under mounting pressure over the weekend to explain his suspension of the country’s top prosecutor, a controversial move weeks before a crunch vote on his leadership of the African National Congress (ANC).
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Friday called for a broader political inquiry into the suspension of the director of the National Prosecuting Authority, advocate Vusi Pikoli. ”This has now become more urgent than ever,” spokesperson Patrick Craven said.
President Thabo Mbeki steered clear on Friday of the furore over suspended National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli, opting to devote his weekly newsletter, ANC Today, to eye-care awareness week. As readers remained in the dark on Mbeki’s own views on the controversy, he began this week’s column with: ”Those who have eyes to see, let them see!”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Friday vowed it will pursue the controversy surrounding President Thabo Mbeki and police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. Writing in the party’s weekly newsletter, SA Today, parliamentary leader of the DA Sandra Botha said the gravity of the situation was such that it should not be underestimated.
Acting National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Mokotedi Mpshe has taken steps to cancel both an arrest and search warrant for police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. The National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement it would like ”to clarify the status of the arrest and search warrants”.
The government has ten days to submit its reports to an official inquiry on why National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli is not fit to hold office, former speaker of the National Assembly Frene Ginwala said on Thursday. These reports would be examined at an official hearing into Pikoli’s fitness to hold office.
As the Democratic Alliance (DA) took steps to obtain copies of the alleged warrants of arrest for police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi on Thursday, the Freedom Front Plus renewed its call for the police chief’s suspension. The DA has lodged an application to obtain copies of the warrants allegedly issued for Selebi, DA parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said.
The Scorpions crime unit is in the political spotlight again amid reports it was preparing to arrest the nation’s police commissioner, the latest high-profile official targeted by the elite force. Unease over the unit has been building within the ruling African National Congress since President Thabo Mbeki announced the formation of the FBI-style crime unit in 1999.
Whether suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli had taken "national security interests" into consideration in decisions he made will be one of the main issues in a hearing to determine his fitness to hold office. President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday approved the terms of reference for the inquiry.
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The Constitutional Court ruling on Tuesday dismissing Schabir Shaik’s application to appeal his conviction and sentence for corruption and fraud may have cleared the way for presidential hopeful Jacob Zuma to face corruption charges again, the latest twist in a political drama gripping the country.
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has been investigated but no decision has been made on prosecuting him, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, President Thabo Mbeki was caught off guard on Tuesday when asked questions by the media about the possible arrest of Selebi.
The African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary caucus has dismissed the Democratic Alliance (DA) call for a special sitting of Parliament to discuss President Thabo Mbeki’s suspension of National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli. ”We reject outright the statement by the DA,” a caucus statement said on Tuesday.
South Africa’s acting chief prosecutor said on Tuesday he would investigate police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi amid reports a warrant had been issued for his arrest for links to organised crime. Mokotedi Mpshe, acting director of the National Prosecuting Authority, said he could confirm an investigation of Selebi was under way.
There were a number of instances where a breakdown in the working relationship with Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla was discussed with suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli. This is according to government spokesperson Themba Maseko, who was speaking at a press conference in Pretoria on Monday.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the speaker of the National Assembly to urgently reconvene Parliament so that President Thabo Mbeki can explain his reasons for suspending the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Vusi Pikoli. In a letter to the speaker, DA parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said the National Assembly has an obligation to deal with ”the crisis”.
The Democratic Alliance is to ask President Thabo Mbeki questions in Parliament relating to National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli’s suspension and the reported warrant of arrest issued for police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. The party’s parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said it was "imperative that the president informs the nation".