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Johannesburg – Ipid head Robert McBride wants to return the police watchdog to stability, he has said in a letter to staff.
“During my absence I have received numerous complaints and reports that are of a deep concern, including maladministration, irregular appointments and questionable financial expenditure,” he wrote in a letter, a copy of which was sent to News24 on Thursday.
McBride returned to his position this week following a 16-month suspension. The Constitutional Court ruled in September that Police Minister Nathi Nhleko did not have the legal power to suspend him. It declared McBride’s suspension invalid and set it aside. It suspended the declaration of invalidity for 30 days, for Parliament to decide if it wanted to take further action against McBride.
He wrote in his letter on Wednesday that in an attempt to reverse some of the changes which had taken place during the period of his suspension, he intended revisiting the Ipid’s restructuring process, reviewing new appointments, and the alleged unlawful suspension of employees.
“After my unlawful suspension there was an unprecedented increase in disciplinary action against Ipid employees,” he wrote.
He said the labour court had been critical of the institution for taking illegal disciplinary action against employees.
“I am steadfast in my resolve to ensure that Ipid functions as a coherent team that works together toward the same goal of ensuring an effective independent oversight of SAPS and MPS [metro police services].”
On Wednesday, McBride’s first day back on the job, he met some staff and discussed his vision for the organisation, Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini said.
Dlamini confirmed that McBride sent the letter to staff.
McBride concluded his letter by asking for co-operation in dealing with Ipid’s problems, and that those with concerns about unlawful conduct at the institution approach him.
On Tuesday, Parliament’s police committee said it would not take any disciplinary action against McBride. Following the Constitutional Court’s ruling, Nhleko had asked the committee to decide if it should take disciplinary steps against him. Committee chairperson Francois Beukman said the National Assembly should have taken a resolution to do so. It had not, so the matter fell away.
Nhleko wrote to Parliament on Wednesday, asking that it discuss with McBride who he would be reporting to. He said relations between the two of them had irretrievably broken down.
Nhleko suspended McBride in March 2015, for allegedly altering a report about the illegal renditions of five Zimbabweans in 2010, in order to protect then Hawks boss Anwa Dramat.
