Cabinet has approved the appointment of former deputy national police commissioner, advocate Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya, as the new head of the Hawks.
Communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane announced during a briefing on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting on Thursday morning that Lebeya would be the new national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the DPCI, popularly known as the Hawks].
Lebeya will be taking over from Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata, who was acting Hawks head.
Matakata was appointed to this post in April last year, after former police minister Fikile Mbalula dismissed the controversial Berning Ntlemeza, after the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria found that his appointment was unlawful. Ntlemeza's appeal was unsuccessful.
Lebeya was also the former head of detective services.
The City Press reported previously that while he was deputy commissioner, Lebeya took SAPS to court when it tried to make him redundant, allegedly without consultation, after 30 years of service.
In May 2014, the court ordered that former commissioner Riah Phiyega consult with him and a colleague, Leah Mofomme, before moving them anywhere.
He was also a witness at the inquest into whether former police intelligence head Richard Mdluli was responsible for the death of a love rival.
After Mdluli was cleared on that count, Lebeya asked that the record of the inquest be corrected, because he believed certain statements had erroneously been attributed to him, and had given the impression that he was part of a supposed movement to remove Mdluli.
– News24