One controversial chapter in the SA Police Service has been closed with the departure of former Hawks boss Lieutenant-General Mthandazo Ntlemeza. Police Minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday announced the general was now “retired” following a failed bid in the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA) to be allowed to appeal an earlier judgment that found his appointment unlawful and invalid. But Ntlemeza’s retirement comes with a financial penalty – he has to “personally pay” legal fees according to the court’s cost order and will get his police pension pegged at the lower rank held before his invalid promotion to Hawks head. By MARIANNE MERTEN.