Frank Dutton

Frank Kennan Dutton is a retired South African policeman. During his career, he continuously risked his life in a struggle to advance human rights, justice, and peace. The dominant theme in his career was the investigation and prosecution of individuals guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, which traced the struggle of the country on its journey to freedom and a rightful place in the world. These efforts took place in South Africa as well as abroad. In South Africa, he helped expose the Apartheid military's destabilization machinery; and later headed the Scorpions, the country's elite police force. Abroad, he worked with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Nelson Mandela personally thanked him for his brave and decidated service.

Uncovering the Third Force

Trust Feeds massacre

Dutton, with his teammate Wilson Magadla, solved the case of the Trust Feeds massacre, amassacre in a village of supporters of the African National Congress in the township Trust Feeds in Natal in December 1988. Taking on the system they work for, Dutton and Magadla sent a prominent policeman Brian Victor Mitchell to prison for this in 1992, the first senior policeman during the anti-Apartheid struggle to be tried and sentenced [
* [http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/thisday/1988-12-13-expanded.htm South African History Online: Trust Feeds massacre, 1988-12-13]
* [http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/speeches/1992/sp920428.html Nelson Mandela: speech to the Organization for African Unity ad hoc committee for southern Africa, 1992-04-28]
* John Carlin, "Judge exposes SA police". "The Independent", April 24, 1992, page 11.
* Michael Hamlyn, "South African policeman is given death sentence". "The Times", May 1, 1992.
* John Carlin, "Scorpions: sting in the tail". "The Independent". July 23, 2000.] . Subsequently, his superiors Ronnie van der Westhuizen and Christo Marx discouraged him and dissolved his unit. But Dutton continued to expose the involvement of the Apartheid-era South African Police hit squads so-called "Third Force" involvement of the South African Defence Force in destabilising large areas of South Africa.

Eugene de Kock

In 1992, on the recommendation of Jacob Zuma, Richard Goldstone appointed Dutton the chief investigator for the Goldstone Commission, a judicial commission looking into political violence. This led to the exposure of the workings of the Third Force, and the imprisonment of security police colonel Eugene de Kock, known as "Prime Evil". Goldstone said of Dutton: "He is a man without strong political feelings but with a deep belief in the need for complete integrity in police investigations, regardless of the consequences." [cite book
first=Richard J.
last=Goldstone
title=For Humanity: Reflections of a War Crimes Investigator
year=2000
publisher=Yale University Press
isbn=0300082053]

Magnus Malan

In 1995, Dutton became the head of the Investigation Task Unit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission [
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=187917 Former top cops show support] . "Mail and Guardian". 3 November 1995.
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=205556 The file that revealed all] . "Mail and Guardian". 8 March 1996.
* [http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1996/10170x78896.htm Statement to the media by Mr Sydney Mufamadi, Minister for Safety and Security: The Investigation Task Unit and the Malan trial, 14 October 1996.]
* [http://www.csvr.org.za/papers/papnwhm2.htm Gareth Newham, Investigation Units: The Teeth of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, September 1995.]
* [http://www.doj.gov.za/trc/media/1996/9603/s960320a.htm South African Press Association (March 20, 1996) Truth probe unit still not set up.] ] . He investigated and arrested the former defence minister Magnus Malan and 10 former military officials in connection with the 1987 KwaMakhutha massacre [
* Ran Greenstein (2003) [http://www.ukzn.ac.za/cae/caepubs/CASERole.pdf The role of political violence in South Africa’s democratisation] . [http://www.case.org.za/ Community Agency for Social Enquiry] . ISBN 1-919776-36-2.
*Christina Lamb. "Hit-squad link to Buthelezi". "Sunday Times". June 11, 1995.
*Phillip Van Niekerk. "General 'helped death squads'". "The Observer". October 29, 1995, page 24.
*David Beresford. "Dark cloud threatens S. Africa, warns Malan". "The Guardian", November 3, 1995, page 1.
*David Beresford, "Spotlight: S. Africa reels as Malan walks free". "The Guardian", October 12, 1996, page 3.
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=190851 IFP's 'Caprivis' still on the job.] "The Mail and Guardian". 11 October 1996.] .

Renamo affair

Dutton exposed the shadowy relationship between the special forces of the South African Defence Force and Renamo rebels in Mozambique. He showed this as continuing for many years after the non-aggression Nkomati Accord was signed between South Africa and Mozambique in 1984. Three of the accused – Brigadier Cornelius van Niekerk, Brigadier John More and Colonel Cornelius van Tonder – were directly involved in coordinating support for Renamo in direct violation of the Nkomati Accord [ [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=205467 Opperman reveals Renamo links.] "Mail and Guardian". 22 Mar 1996] .

The atrocities committed by Renamo have been described by an United States Department of State report as worse than those of the Pol Pot regime in CambodiaFact|date=June 2007. The cost of South African-sponsored wars of destabilisation in Angola and Mozambique has been estimated by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre in Harare at more than a million lives and between 45 billion USD and 60 billion USD since 1980Fact|date=June 2007.

On the hit list

In working to uncover the workings of the Third Force, Frank Dutton was placed on the South African Police hit list, and several attempts were made on his life. He was advised to flee the country, but returned despite the danger to ensure justice was done.

Investigations in the former Yugoslavia

In 1994, on the recommendation of Richard Goldstone, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Dutton successfully applied for a post with the United Nations in the investigation section of the Office of the Prosecutor for that tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands [
* [http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1996/960524_0w828.htm Media release by the Minister of Safety and Security, Mr Sydney Mufamadi: Senior Superintendent Frank Dutton to work with Mr Justice Goldstone in the Hague. Pretoria, 23 May 1996]
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=191515 Another blow to the ITU.] "The Mail and Guardian". 2 August 1996.
* Steve Boggan, "War in the Balkans: war crimes: 15 mass gravesites found in Kosovo". "The Independent", April 16, 1999, page 4
* Richard Pendlebury. "Crucial list that may trap killers". "Daily Mail" (London). April 15, 1999, page 7.] . In this role, he worked with detectives from more than 90 countries and proved himself to be a world-class detective. In 1995, he was promoted to head of the court's investigating mission in Sarajevo. He was again promoted to Commander of Field Operations in Kosovo in 1999, when Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka asked him to return to South Africa to set up the elite unit, the Scorpions.

etting up the Scorpions

In 2000 before his retirement, he set up the Scorpions, the Directorate of Special Operations, modelled after the American Untouchables and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dutton was at the time the only member of the organisation with a public image, and gave it its motto: “Loved by the people, feared by criminals, respected by peers.” This once again placed him in the firing line [
* [http://www.dispatch.co.za/1999/11/17/southafrica/CASE.HTM Dispatch online: Police accuse Scorpions of picking high-profile cases: Greeff case causes police rift.] Wednesday, November 17, 1999
* [http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/zuma/1999/jz0902.htm ANC: Statement by Deputy President J. Zuma in the National Assembly.] 2 September 1999
* [http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1999/9911151138a1010.htm Address by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Dr P. M. Maduna, during snap debate on the Directorate of Special Operations.] Cape Town, 11 November 1999
* Peter Honey (16 March 2007) [http://free.financialmail.co.za/report07/npa07/anpa.htm Fearless justice: The NPA has played a leading role in all the big corruption trials.] "Financial Mail".
* David Beresford, "Gangsters fall foul of South Africa 'hit list'". "The Observer", November 28, 1999, page 23
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleid=223446 Scorpions' sting under investigation.] "The Mail and Guardian". 27 July 2000.
* Robyn Dixon. [http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/24/world/fg-scorpions24 "South Africa’s elite crime fighters endangered"] . "Los Angeles Times. 24 February 2008.] .

Panelist in the Selebi case

In October 2007, Dutton was selected to serve on the panel to review the case against police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. [
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=%2fbreaking_news%2fbreaking_news__national%2f&articleid=321771 Sapa: Selebi review panel named.] "The Mail and Guardian", 12 October 2007
* [http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2200974,00.html News24: Selebi panel named] . 12 October 2007]

References