COPE CONDEMNS NEPOTISM AT ICD

12 July 2015

City Press reported on Sunday that the daughter of deputy minister Maggie Sotyu had "landed herself a top job" at the Independent Police Investigative Directorate. Shockingly, she did so without the required qualifications and experience (see here).

In April 2011, the daughter of Siyabonga Cwele, who was the Minister of State Security at the time, was appointed as chief financial officer at the Independent Complaints Directorate, also without the required qualifications or experience.

It appears that the employment policy of the two police directorates is to provocatively overlook candidates from the ranks with qualifications and experience; and to take on the daughters of ministers and deputy ministers. This is blatant and destructive nepotism!

COPE is furious at how the ruling party has captured the state to its own ignominious ends. Democracy requires the visible separation of party and state; but unfortunately there is a blurring of the boundaries under the Zuma administration. The state, at the present time, is at the service of the ruling party. Therefore, every day, the country begins to look more and more like a banana republic.

COPE will not be surprised if the ICD experiences the kind of turmoil that IPID experienced when irregular appointments were made there. Understandably, deserving candidates begin to seethe when they are corruptly and blatantly overlooked.

In view of what is happening, South Africans must support the anti-corruption march that will take place in Cape Town on 19 August, 2015. Those who feel helpless in the face of state arrogance and abuse should join in the march to express solidarity with those who wish to defeat nepotism, greed and corruption. Society must signal loudly and powerfully to the ruling party that it has become totally intolerant of its abuse of powers and naked greed.

Irregular and nepotistic appointments destroy morale and damage the functioning of state institutions. Parachuting glaringly undeserving candidates while overlooking highly deserving candidates with experience is a fatal mistake. Is it any wonder that we are witnessing the collapse of institution after institution in South Africa. The state is not the ruling party's milch cow and we must never allow the ruling party elite to milk the cow dry.

COPE demands that the Minister probes the Boniwe Sotyu appointment. We will certainly not leave this matter uncontested and unchallenged.

Statement issued by Dennis Bloem, COPE spokesperson, July 12 2015