The Congress of South African Trade Unions warmly welcomes the investigation ordered by President Jacob Zuma into allegations of fraud and corruption in the South Africa Police Service.

We urge the Special Investigating Unit to leave no stone unturned to uncover any corruption or misuse of public funds in such areas as the procurement of goods and services, contracts signed, or not signed, by officials or officers with an undeclared conflict of interest and unauthorized, irregular, wasteful or fruitless expenditure  in any branch of the SAPS.

This investigation is exactly in line with what COSATU has been calling for in all parts of the public service. Allegations of corruption must be either proved or disproved. Everyone is innocent until proved guilty, but this can only be established when the evidence has been thoroughly investigated. Those who have a case to answer must be charged and brought to justice, while those against whom there is no evidence will be exonerated.

Corruption and misuse of public funds is a cancer eating away at the heart of our state and society. The President's initiative in respect of the SAPS is thus an important and welcome development in the fight to eradicate this cancer.

Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, August 12 2010

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