The head of the Hawks in the Eastern Cape, Major-General Nyameko Nogwanya, has been stripped of all his powers and authority and is to face a disciplinary hearing for allegedly twice sexually harassing a female staff member.
A letter of suspension signed by the acting national commander of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigative Unit (Hawks), Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata, has been seen by the Dispatch.
It states that all “powers and authority vested in …shall be held in abeyance” pending the outcome of a disciplinary process.
The suspension became effective from July 25.
Nogwanya, 48, with 23 years experience in the police service elsewhere in South Africa, joined the Hawks in the province in January 2016.
He is accused of sexually harassing Hawks Eastern Cape spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni, 37, twice – once in his beachfront hotel room last year and a second time on the fourth floor of the Hawks offices at the corner of Oxford and Buxton streets in the East London CBD where Feni works.
The letter to Nogwanya states: “You allegedly committed misconduct in that on 1 March 2016, you sexually harassed a female employee at the Premier Hotel Regent in East London and at her work place in East London.”
Nogwanya was living at the East London beachfront hotel. He has confirmed that Feni went there to obtain clearance for the release of a press release.
The Dispatch earlier reported that another similar allegation by another Hawks employee had been made but no such incident was mentioned in the letter of suspension.
The suspension letter directs Nogwanya to “immediately hand in your appointment certificate, access card and state equipment such as the firearm, laptop, cellphone” and to provide his bosses with a new cellphone number where he could be reached for disciplinary procedure purposes.
It further directed him to be available for the duration of the disciplinary hearing.
The letter, signed by Matakata on July 24, was hand delivered to Nogwanya on July 25 by the Eastern Cape provincial SAPS head of legal services, Major-General Daniel Billet.
Nogwanya acknowledged receipt of the letter.
In the letter, Matakata states that Nogwanya would continue to be subjected “to discipline of the service” in terms of regulation 10(3) of the 2016 SAPS discipline regulations.
Attempts by the Dispatch to obtain detailed confirmation from the Hawks, including via the submission of e-mailed questions, met with little success.
National spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, stated the matter was an internal matter and would not comment further.
In an interview with the Dispatch in mid July, Nogwanya, confirmed that Feni, had come to his hotel room to obtain clearance for a press release.
Nogwanya denied any wrongdoing and alleged that Feni was being used in a smear campaign by people who wanted to see him fired.
He enjoyed a three-month stay at Premier Hotel from the beginning of January to the end of March at the expense of the state while he was house hunting in East London. — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
Hawks boss to face sex pest inquiry
A letter of suspension signed by the acting national commander of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigative Unit (Hawks), Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata, has been seen by the Dispatch.
It states that all “powers and authority vested in …shall be held in abeyance” pending the outcome of a disciplinary process.
The suspension became effective from July 25.
Nogwanya, 48, with 23 years experience in the police service elsewhere in South Africa, joined the Hawks in the province in January 2016.
He is accused of sexually harassing Hawks Eastern Cape spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni, 37, twice – once in his beachfront hotel room last year and a second time on the fourth floor of the Hawks offices at the corner of Oxford and Buxton streets in the East London CBD where Feni works.
The letter to Nogwanya states: “You allegedly committed misconduct in that on 1 March 2016, you sexually harassed a female employee at the Premier Hotel Regent in East London and at her work place in East London.”
Nogwanya was living at the East London beachfront hotel. He has confirmed that Feni went there to obtain clearance for the release of a press release.
The Dispatch earlier reported that another similar allegation by another Hawks employee had been made but no such incident was mentioned in the letter of suspension.
The suspension letter directs Nogwanya to “immediately hand in your appointment certificate, access card and state equipment such as the firearm, laptop, cellphone” and to provide his bosses with a new cellphone number where he could be reached for disciplinary procedure purposes.
It further directed him to be available for the duration of the disciplinary hearing.
The letter, signed by Matakata on July 24, was hand delivered to Nogwanya on July 25 by the Eastern Cape provincial SAPS head of legal services, Major-General Daniel Billet.
Nogwanya acknowledged receipt of the letter.
In the letter, Matakata states that Nogwanya would continue to be subjected “to discipline of the service” in terms of regulation 10(3) of the 2016 SAPS discipline regulations.
Attempts by the Dispatch to obtain detailed confirmation from the Hawks, including via the submission of e-mailed questions, met with little success.
National spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, stated the matter was an internal matter and would not comment further.
In an interview with the Dispatch in mid July, Nogwanya, confirmed that Feni, had come to his hotel room to obtain clearance for a press release.
Nogwanya denied any wrongdoing and alleged that Feni was being used in a smear campaign by people who wanted to see him fired.
He enjoyed a three-month stay at Premier Hotel from the beginning of January to the end of March at the expense of the state while he was house hunting in East London. — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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