Oupa Lethebe is currently out on bail of R30,000 pending an appeal against his conviction. Lethebe, who was an inspector in the Boksburg precinct, told Sowetan that he was unfairly ejected from the department.
"I was not charged departmentally and I have not heard from them. I got a letter in 2011 informing me that my services had been terminated," he said.
Lethebe gunned down his fiancée, Jubrel Mamotsiri Tladi, a police captain based at Vosloorus police station, after he found her with another man in a car in 2005.
Lethebe shot himself in the chin but survived and during his trial, told the court that he had suffered temporary insanity. The Johannesburg High court found him guilty of murder. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2009.
But he appealed the conviction and is out on R30,000 bail.
"All the time I was on trial and since I have been out they have not bothered to make contact and discuss the issue with me," he said.
Lethebe returned to work but when he got there his supervisors told him they could not sign his work sheet, he claimed.
"The supervisors sent me to the human resources department and they sent me back to my supervisors. Nobody has a clue what procedure to follow. Next I get a letter informing me that my contract has been terminated and no reasons are given. I was never given an opportunity to state my case," he said.
Ekurhuleni Metro police spokesman, Wilfred Kgasago, insisted that Lethebe remained dismissed until a court overturned his conviction.
"His services were terminated in terms of the SA Local Government Association's conditions of service. In a nutshell, the clause stipulates that if an employee is convicted by a competent court and his (convicted employee) conviction prevents him from performing his duties as per the contract entered into, the employee's service shall be terminated," Kgasago said.
"The fact that he has appealed his conviction does not, at this stage, compel the employer to reinstate him as the municipality cannot anticipate that the higher court will overturn the earlier conviction. Thus, on that basis, the status quo will remain. He would probably have some kind of recourse in the event the Supreme Court does overturn the conviction."
Source: Sowetan via I-Net Bridge
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