Former KZN Hawks head, Johan Booysen gives testimony at the State Capture Commission in Parktown, 17 April 2019. Picture: Neil McCartney Former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen has hit out at the Nkabinde inquiry, calling it “self-serving and an abuse of process”. The Nkabinde inquiry is looking into Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Andrew Chauke’s fitness to hold office.
It was formed after the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi alleged he had protected high-profile people and made politically motivated prosecution decisions. However, during the hearings, the inquiry has often focused on the racketeering charges that were authorised against Booysen and members of his Cato Manor Unit. In 2019,Batohi withdrew the chargesagainst him and his unit.
City Pressreports that Booysen is now accusing the Nkabinde inquiry of trying to revive the case “through the back door”. “Any attempt to revive the Cato Manor case through the back door is self-serving and an abuse of process,” Booysen said. “The taxpayer has already been burdened with an investigation spanning seven years, costing millions of rand.
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The high court in Durban has already dismissed the evidence of businessman Aris Danikas, linked to the Cato Manor case, and so did the late Advocate Rodney de Kock’s investigation panel when he served as deputy national director of public prosecutions. “It is an attempt to deflect from the issue under scrutiny — which is Chauke’s conduct.” Booysen’s legal team has previously raised concerns about the Nkabinde inquiry, saying he was never given a fair chance to counter the claims against him. Nkabinde inquiry spokesperson Tiyisela Mpuzana, however, said the hearing is only trying to gather information needed to asses Chauke’s fitness to hold office.
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