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- The office of the presidency has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole with a notice of suspension.
- The pending suspension is in relation to Sitole's failure to assist the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in its investigations into the controversial grabber procurement.
- Sitole, who was given 14 days to respond, has already made representations as to why the suspension should not be instituted.
The office of the presidency has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed National Commissioner of Police, General Khehla Sitole of his intention to suspend him and invited Sitole to make representations as to why the president should not go ahead with the suspension.
This was confirmed via a media statement in which the presidency said: "The office of the presidency has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in terms of Section 8(3) of the Police Act, invited the National Commissioner of Police, General Khehla Sitole, to make representations on the president's notice to suspend him".
According to the presidency, Ramaphosa wrote to Sitole on 20 September and informed him that the impending suspension was in relation to "allegations of the failure by the commissioner to assist the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID)" in its investigations into the controversial grabber procurement.
READ | Top cop Khehla Sitole served with suspension notice - report
"These allegations emerged publicly and became the subject of a finding by Judge Norman Davis in the Pretoria High Court," read the statement.
A scathing judgment, handed down on 13 January by Judge Norman Davis in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, found that Sitole and his two deputies, Francinah Vuma and Lebeoana Tsumani, had placed the interests of the governing party, the ANC, ahead of those of the country.
News24 previously reported that Davis ruled that the three had effectively blocked a string of corruption investigations that were spearheaded by the IPID.
Among these was a probe into an aborted attempt by police to splurge R45 million on a spying device known as a "grabber" - at a staggeringly inflated price - on the eve of the ANC's 2017 Nasrec elective conference. IPID investigators alleged that the purchase was merely a cover to launder money to buy off voting delegates and swing the outcome in favour of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
For three years, Sitole, Vuma and Tsumani refused to hand over documentation to IPID relating to the grabber procurement.
"Rather than comply with their statutory duties as police officers willing to contribute to the investigation of crimes, they sought legal assistance and on this basis thwarted IPID's investigation," Davis later said, dismissing a 3 February attempt by the trio to appeal against the original judgment.
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Ramaphosa had also indicated to Sitole that the issues arising from the High Court judgment were serious.
"The president has, in terms of Section 9 of the South African Police Services Act of 1995, read with Section 8 of the same Act, 68 of 1995, deemed it appropriate at this stage to institute a board of inquiry into the national commissioner's alleged misconduct and fitness to hold the office of national commissioner of police," said the statement by the office of the presidency.
According to the statement, the suspension was "merited by the public interest in the integrity of the office of the national commissioner".
The presidency also confirmed that Ramaphosa had given Sitole 14 days in which to respond and that the country's top cop had since submitted representations in this regard.
"While the president considers these representations, further engagement on this matter will be between the president and the national commissioner," said the statement.
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