Parliament hears Hawks watchdog has been without a judge
The Office of the DPCI Judge Complaints Unit for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation briefed members of Parliament on its annual report.
Parliament. Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X
CAPE TOWN - The office established to investigate complaints against the Hawks has been without a judge for over a year, impacting investigations.
Parliament's police committee heard on Tuesday how the office of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) judge hasn’t been able to function optimally to finalise certain cases because a judge was not appointed.
Members of Parliament (MPs) also raised concerns about the office's lack of visibility in the public.
The Office of the DPCI Judge Complaints Unit for the DPCI briefed MPs on its annual report.
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The director for the Office of DPCI Judge, Charmaine Marshall, noted how no judge was appointed in the 2023/2024 financial year, affecting their output.
The office recently appointed retired Judge Malesela Legodi as its new head.
"In terms of the question of how the absence of a judge affects the office, it affected the office severely because there was no conclusion on any investigation with adverse findings," said Marshall.
Marshall did list the types of complaints against the Hawks under investigation.
"Trends [were] with regards to improper investigations and undue delays in investigations, abuse of power, failure to investigate, unlawful arrest. MPs urged the office to market itself more effectively so the public can approach it with any complaints against the Hawks," said Marshall.