This weekend the head of yet another embattled security chief seems set to
roll as a question mark hangs heavy over the future of Scorpions boss Leonard
McCarthy.
The top investigator could find himself facing a full-scale inquiry into his
leadership after the National Assembly unanimously supported a recommendation to
discipline McCarthy for his role in the Special Browse Mole Report.
Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson Zolile Nqayi confirmed there
was a "good possibility" McCarthy could find himself in the same boat as his
suspended boss, Vusi Pikoli, who is currently the focus of the Ginwala Inquiry.
"If we follow the letter of the law then we are definitely looking at a Pikoli-type
inquiry," Nqayi said.
'If we follow the letter of the law then we are definitely looking at a
Pikoli-type inquiry'
But while Justice and Constitutional Development Minster Brigitte Mabandla
has expressed a desire to "attend to the recommendations immediately", Nqayi
said it was still too soon to say what her next steps would be.
McCarthy has not been suspended but is spending the Easter weekend knowing this
is a good possibility.
It's believed this could be the final straw for McCarthy, who has already
expressed a desire to resign within the next few months in order to seek greener
pastures abroad.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Tlali Tlali said on Friday that
while McCarthy's departure had been rumoured for some time, no formal
notification to that effect had been received.
McCarthy was not available for comment. NPA insiders say the Scorpions boss has
largely withdrawn himself from his colleagues.
NPA insiders say the Scorpions boss has largely withdrawn himself from his
colleagues
On Wednesday, the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) urged the
executive authority to take appropriate action against McCarthy and his
subordinates for their involvement in compiling the Special Browse Report and
the alleged illegal intelligence gathering it involved.
According to Section 12 of the NPA Act (1998), a deputy national director like
McCarthy may only be provisionally suspended from his office by the president,
pending an inquiry into his fitness to hold office or for "misconduct".
If McCarthy is suspended then President Thabo Mbeki has to alert Parliament
within 14 days of such action. If Parliament is not in session because of the
Easter break, the president must then alert the House to his decision within 14
days of MPs returning to their benches.
Parliament then has 30 days in which to concur or disagree with the decision.
McCarthy is not likely to find many friends on ruling party benches after he
raised their hackles last year when it was rumoured that he and other NPA bosses
met to decide on how best to woo the ANC into retaining the Scorpions.
This was after the party's June policy conference called for the Scorpions to be
disbanded - a resolution that was adopted at the ANC's December conference.
The ANC expressed outrage with the NPA's apparent desire to manipulate the party
for the unit's interests.
Many within the ANC and broader alliance have been suspicious of the Scorpions,
believing them to have been used as a tool by Mbeki in his fight for dominance
over archrival Jacob Zuma.
Zuma's victory in Polokwane, where he succeeded Mbeki as party leader, sounded
the death knell for the Scorpions, who are now on death row until their final
disbandment, planned for June.
McCarthy and his unit are, however, but the latest in a string of security
chiefs who have left office, many having fallen victim to the country's
political wrangling.
Mbeki suspended Pikoli last year due to an "irretrievable breakdown" in his
relationship with his political boss, Mabandla.
Mbeki also fired former spy chief Billy Masetlha in 2006, who along with
National Intelligence Agency electronic surveillance manager Funokwakhe Madlala
stood accused of being involved in the hoax e-mail saga.
Masetlha was acquitted for not co-operating with the Intelligence inspector
general but he is still facing fraud charges.
At the time, Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi described the hoax e-mail saga as
"mischief of the highest order" which "undermined the security of the state".
Ironically, Selebi's turn came earlier this year when he, too, was forced to
step down pending an investigation by the Scorpions into his alleged underworld
dealings.
Other who left their posts early include Defence chief Siphiwe Nyanda, now a key
Zuma ally, and intelligence co-ordinator Barry Gilder.
* This article was originally published on page 10 of Cape Argus on March 22,
2008
With acknowledgements to Boyd Webb and
Independent Online.
Another jackass bites the dust.