By Johnathan Paoli
Police in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday denied that the province’s Hawks chief, Lesetja Senona, was forcibly removed from his office, saying that instead, security officials acted after “unusual events” raised concerns about the safeguarding of sensitive information.
Earlier on Sunday, Senona publicly alleged that provincial officers had escorted him from his office on Saturday and confiscated some of his electronic devices. He said that he had concerns about his personal safety after the incident.
Describing the “unusual events” they cited in a statement, KZN police said Senona had a dedicated senior manager’s parking bay reserved at the province’s headquarters in Durban, but that on Saturday, he arrived at headquarters and parked on the street, before a colonel from the Hawks joined him inside his vehicle “for approximately 45 minutes”.
Senona later entered the building but did not comply with weekend security rules requiring all staff to sign an access register.
“On weekends and after normal working hours, everybody who enters the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Headquarters building, regardless of rank, must sign a register. Major General Senona breached that security protocol by going through to his office without signing the register. His secretary signed, but only for herself. The Colonel, who also entered the building, also failed to sign the register,” said the police.
“The unusual events of Major General Senona coming to work on a Saturday, the parking of his vehicle on the street and not at his parking bay inside the building, the unusual in-the-car meeting on the street with a Colonel, and the failure to sign the mandatory register raised security concerns,” police said.
The conduct was relayed by security personnel on duty to the provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, according to the statement.
“Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi instructed the security personnel to go to Major General Senona to ask him what he was doing in the office. Major General Senona chose to leave the office, and wanted to take a state computer and other documents with him. He was then asked to leave all state property behind, except for his official cellphone. Major General Senona voluntarily left the keys of his office.
“In respect of internal police protocol, Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi informed the Acting National Head of the Hawks of what happened and asked him to send someone to fetch office keys which Major General Senona had left with the officer in charge of security officers.”
The statement said that Senona’s testimony at the Madlanga Commission had revealed that he once sent police documents to a “private individual”, and that given Senona’s “unusual” behaviour, they were compelled to act to safeguard the potential leaking of sensitive information.
Senona has been questioned at the commission about sharing police documents with his close friend, and alleged underworld figure, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
In testimony and evidence led at the commission, Senona was confronted with material indicating that he forwarded an affidavit and other information containing personal details of police officers — including names, ID numbers, addresses and contact details — to Matlala.
Senona has denied sharing any information “knowingly” or with improper intent.
He is one of 14 people named for referral for further investigation in the commission’s interim report.
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