Former police commissioner shocked by raid

A former Western Cape police commissioner says he is "shocked and stunned" that police have searched his house even after he promised them his full co-operation.

Neil van Heerden is now head of George Fivaz and Associates in Mossel Bay, the firm embroiled in the Cape Town spy saga,

Early on Wednesday, six police vehicles arrived at private investigator Van Heerden's Mossel Bay home with a search warrant and left with stacks of documents.

Van Heerden said on Thursday he could not believe that as a former police commissioner his house had been searched by police officers, especially after he expressed his willingness to co-operate with them.

"This is the first time in my life that someone has got a warrant and searched my home. How would you feel if this happened to you? I'm shocked and stunned that after telling these people they had my full co-operation they still carried on.

"I actually don't know what to say about this. I've been a police commissioner. I've been in the justice system for 37 years and now this happens," he said.

Van Heerden heads the firm the City of Cape Town hired to investigate councillor Badih Chaaban and which sub-contracted Phillip du Toit to do the footwork, but police are investigating whether there was illegal surveillance of Chaaban and other councillors.

Van Heerden said 16 officers had searched his home and left with documents "already in the public domain".

He said that on December 1 the same documents were handed to advocate Josie Jordaan of the Cape Bar.

Mayor Helen Zille had hired Jordaan to investigate Van Heerden's firm and its surveillance of Chaaban.

The Erasmus Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Justice Nathan Erasmus, was also probing whether investigations authorised by the city were legal.

But Van Heerden said he felt the search of his home had "something to do" with fraud complaints he had lodged against three police investigators and the prosecutor in the Inge Lotz murder trial.

Van Heerden wanted the Independent Complaints Directorate to probe whether important information has been withheld from the court during Fred van der Vyver's trial.

"Quite clearly this has something to do with charges I lodged, but I will stand for justice until the day I die. If the justice system fails, then the next thing there will be chaos. They can search my home and even put me in jail, but I will stand up for justice."

Police spokesperson Billy Jones confirmed that Cape Town detectives and George police officers had searched Van Heerden's home and confiscated a number of documents.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

• This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Times on December 21, 2007