Alleged Cato Manor 'hit squad' members arrested

Fifteen members of the Durban Organised Crime Unit - disbanded in February after allegations of a death squad - have been arrested, say the Hawks.

Spokesperson McIntosh Polela said the arrests were part of a joint operation by the Hawks and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). IPID spokesperson Moses Dlamini also confirmed the operation. Three members were arrested in Gauteng – two in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, and one on the West Rand. The rest were arrested in various locations around Durban. Polela said a total of 20 members of the unit would be arrested, although IOL reported on Wednesday more than 20 officers were arrested. He said the unit’s commanding officer Major General Johan Booysen, who was also the KwaZulu-Natal boss of the Hawks, was not one of the 20.

Those arrested were taken to the South African Police Service air wing at the old Durban International Airport. None of them resisted arrest, Polela said. The 20 face charges ranging from murder and the unlawful possession of ammunition to theft and assault.

The unit was shut down in February amid allegations that an alleged death squad operated in the Cato Manor crime unit. Most of its members have since been incorporated into the Hawks. Booysen was issued with a notice of suspension in March, but it was later set aside. He faced allegations of negligence or failing to act in connection with the alleged death squad.

Source: Mail & Guardian