The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has found that former finance minister Malusi Gigaba abused his power by getting the Hawks to arrest his estranged wife, Norma Mngoma, for allegedly trashing his friend's car – in order to intimidate her.
"It appears in this matter that the arresting officers abused their powers and positions as members of the Hawks, presumably to avenge a wrong or perceived wrong as complained and alleged by Mr Gigaba, and not for any lawful purpose… The warrant [for Mngoma's arrest] was obtained for an ulterior purpose," Judge Cassim Sardiwalla ruled.
"It is clear that this in fact is a domestic dispute between two prominent members of society, however, the offences are not deserving of the high priority of the Hawks, and the involvement of the Hawks itself speaks to the abuse of power by Mr Gigaba as a former minister in using the state administration for his own personal benefit with the intention to intimidate his wife in a domestic spat."
