Suspended Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride’s lawyer has lodged a bid to halt his client’s disciplinary hearing on Thursday.

“The stay application has been made to the chairperson of the disciplinary inquiry and will be discussed today at the disciplinary inquiry at 10:00,” Jac Marais told News24 in an email.

McBride was suspended from Ipid in March reportedly because of a decision he took to clear former Hawks boss Anwa Dramat and Gauteng Hawks head Shadrack Sibiya of allegations that they were involved in the rendition of five Zimbabwean nationals.

Before his actual suspension, McBride brought an urgent application to stop Police Minister Nathi Nhleko from suspending him, but the High Court in Pretoria found that the application was urgent and struck it off the roll.

Urgent application

In his urgent application, McBride alleged that the decision to suspend him was not motivated by “any legitimate reason nor reasons given in the suspension notice”, but rather by “his concern to undermine and suppress the Ipid investigation report that vindicates Dramat and Sibiya, and upon which the Minister had relied to justify his suspension of them”.

In his notice of intention to suspend McBride, Nhleko alleged that the Ipid head had breached his statutory responsibility to act with independence and impartiality in that he informed Dramat and Sibiya, through their legal representatives, in writing that they had been clear by the Ipid investigation.

In 2010, five men, including Witness Ndeya, Gordon Dube and Pritchard Tshuma, were illegally repatriated to Zimbabwe by the Hawks. The proper extradition process was not followed. Ndeya and Dube were allegedly murdered by Zimbabwean police.

In an initial report, the Ipid found Dramat and Sibiya were directly involved in the renditions. According to a final report, compiled in March 2014, they were cleared on the basis of additional evidence. News24