Africa-Press – South-Africa. Former SARS executive Johann van Loggerenberg has said that if the questions put to him about the so-called rogue unit at the Section 194 Committee had been asked when Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was investigating the unit, his testimony would be unnecessary.
He alleges that Mkhwebane made no attempt to obtain his version of events while investigating the so-called rogue unit, and prejudged the outcome of the investigation by labelling it a “rogue unit” while still investigating the matter.
Answering questions from Mkhwebane’s counsel, advocate Dali Mpofu, during the morning session of the committee’s hearing on Thursday, Van Loggerenberg maintained that she had repeatedly referred to the unit as a “rogue unit”, prior to making any findings about it.
Mpofu then accused Van Loggerenberg of misleading the committee, and insisted that Mkhwebane had referred to it as a “so-called rogue unit”.
In a video message on YouTube on 3 June 2019, Mkhwebane said: “I understand, when it comes to the issue of the rogue unit, people have lost lives, people have been tainted, and I think that is still going to happen. But I’m doing my work.”
Van Loggerenberg also referred the committee to a lawyer’s letter asking her to stop referring to the “rogue unit” in which he mentioned this recording.
Tables turn on Mkhwebane as ex-SARS executive testifies how she went rogue in ‘rogue unit’ probe
He also said it was “disrespectful” to call the high-risk investigations SARS unit the “so-called SARS Rogue Unit”. He added that this was the equivalent of being racist, and that one could not make such claims about 26 people.
Mpofu continued calling it the “so-called rogue unit” and then, in response to Van Loggerenberg’s request not to call it that, said: “Well, you can’t stop me.”
He grilled Van Loggerenberg on allegations against him and the investigative unit which were contained in discredited reports.
“These matters have been settled in court,” Van Loggerenberg replied.
He said the matters Mpofu was raising should have been asked of him before the release of Mkhwebane’s report in July 2019.
“That is exactly my complaint.
“It is almost as if we are going back in time and reliving everything.”
After a lunch break, committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi asked Mpofu to keep Van Loggerenberg’s concerns in mind, but he continued asking him about the allegations.
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