Cape Town - Author Jacques Pauw has described no further threats of arrest as a great relief, after a new investigating officer had been assigned to the case against him and News24 investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh.
Colonel Reuben Govender was on Tuesday reported to have been removed as the investigating officer from a criminal case in which the two authors are the suspects.
READ: Detective removed from case against Jacques Pauw and News24 journalist
The police informed the lawyer acting on behalf of the journalists they would also no longer have to report to the Durban North police station.
Pauw in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening said KwaZulu-Natal head of detective services Brigadier AW Holby was now in charge of “whatever investigation there is against me and Pieter-Louis”.
The President’s Keepers author described Govender as Durban businessman and ANC-supporter Roy Moodley’s “pet cop”, saying that the former investigating officer had demanded that he and Myburgh – author of The Republic of Gupta - report to him in Durban on Wednesday.
“He has refused to say what the case is about, who the complainant is and whether he has a warrant for our arrests.
“We know, however, that the complainant is Roy Moodley, Zuma's close friend and the man who paid him a salary while he was president.”
Moodley is named in Pauw’s book for allegedly paying Jacob Zuma a salary while he was president. News24 attempted to reach him for comment, but calls went unanswered.
Pauw said Govender had unsuccessfully tried to get a warrant for his arrest three weeks ago.
“We received a letter from Govender just today in which he once again threatened us for being ‘evasive’ and said he could have arrested us a week ago if he wanted to. He even threatened to bring charges of defeating the end of justice against Willem de Klerk.
“Govender is a notorious cop and we have over the past two days found various cases where he has performed Moodley's dirty work for him. He has been slammed in court judgements and is facing several law suits. He is notorious for arresting people without warrants and for bringing trumped-up charges against them.”
The authors had been preparing to bring an urgent application in the Durban High Court on Tuesday night to prevent their arrest before Govender’s removal from the case, Pauw wrote.
NB Publishers in a statement said it “stood by its courageous author and his book”.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo refused to comment on the case.
“I never comment on an investigation if the person had not yet appeared in court. Whether there is a case or no case is immaterial. I won’t comment.”
