Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services and the Portfolio Committee on Police have convened a special joint meeting on Wednesday, 7 March, to interrogate revelations that the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) investigations into state capture were impeded by slow decision-making by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The decision to call for a joint meeting was made after discussions between Dr Mathole Motshekga, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, and Mr Francois Beukman, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police.

The chairpersons indicated that both the head of the NPA, Adv Shaun Abrahams, and the Acting Head of the Hawks, Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata, will be invited to the meeting. This follows the Portfolio Committee on Police’s meeting on 28 February in which it heard that the NPA had delayed the arrest of suspects in the Vrede dairy farm case until February 2018, even though the Hawks finalised its investigation into the matter in 2017.

Dr Motshekga said it is important for parliamentary committees to collaborate to get a full picture of what occurred. “We cannot have the public doubt our institutions and, therefore, we need to get to the bottom of this. The NPA will have to explain why there was such a long delay.”

This is an important meeting to understand the obstacles affecting the Hawks’ ability to execute its mandate, Mr Beukman said. “The efforts of the Hawks to fight organised crime should not be hampered by slow decision-making. Prosecution-driven cases dealing with state capture and court-ready dockets should be prioritised. We are looking forward working with Dr Motshekga and the justice committee so that progress is made in this very important matter.”
 

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, Dr Mathole Motshekga and the Portfolio Committee on Police, Francois Beukman