Simon Nare
The Nkabinde Inquiry has heard that retired former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen, whose name has featured prominently in evidence about the Cato Manor police unit, has withdrawn from the inquiry and will no longer be submitting a statement as expected.
Booysen’s legal representative had previously indicated that he would submit a statement by Wednesday, but instead, evidence leader Advocate David Mohlamonyane told the inquiry, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Bess Nkabinde, that Booysen was withdrawing from the process altogether.
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The inquiry is probing South Gauteng director of public prosecutions Advocate Andrew Chauke’s fitness to hold office.
Key to that process is Chauke’s role in the institution of racketeering charges against Booysen and members of the Cato Manor unit, as well as the subsequent defence of those decisions in court. Booysen has been implicated by various witnesses who have testified before the panel.
Mohlamonyane told the inquiry that he first heard from Booysen’s legal team on Monday that they no longer held a brief for him because he had terminated his contract with the law firm. He later spoke to Booysen, who confirmed that he had ended the firm’s mandate.
The evidence leader said he had twice travelled to Cape Town and personally met Booysen for consultations. During those meetings, he said, he was left with the impression that Booysen would testify. At one stage, his lawyers also informed him that Booysen’s statement was running to about 300 pages because he wanted to respond to every allegation levelled against him in the inquiry.
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“As far as his statement is concerned, I was engaging his counsel. There was a stage when I asked to be given a copy, at least to have a copy of up to where they were. I could not get that copy because counsel said to me, I will give you the statement when I am finished.
“I have never seen his statement that was drafted by his counsel. The only time when I developed a statement was in November 2025 after we have met with General Johan Booysen and then he sent a draft from which I then I started developing a statement. Thereafter, that’s when I was told that his statement will be drafted and settled by his lawyers,” said Mohlamonyane.
He added that Booysen had not given him reasons for withdrawing from the inquiry, but said he knew Booysen had been following the proceedings “through and through” and could “safely assume” that he had full knowledge of what had been submitted to the panel so far.
The inquiry has previously heard evidence and allegations that members of the Cato Manor unit killed men linked to the KwaMaphumulo Taxi Association, and that some crime scenes were manipulated to support claims of self-defence.
It has also heard evidence implicating Booysen in the alleged shielding of some unit members. His much-anticipated testimony was expected to shed further light on the operation of the unit, which has repeatedly been described in evidence and reporting as an alleged “death squad”.
