MEC has 48 hours to publicly retract Acting SAPS Commissioner’s ban on oversight inspections
24 October 2018
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today written to KZN Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Mxolisi Kaunda, with an ultimatum to publicly retract a ban on public representatives, including DA Members of the Provincial Legislature, from conducting oversight inspections at the province’s SAPS stations. Click here to view the letter.
The move comes after KZN’s Acting SAPS Commissioner, Lieutenant-General, Lucky Mkhwanazi issued a circular (view here) instructing SAPS cluster and station commanders not to share any information with public representatives. The circular also stated that parliamentary portfolios committees must first obtain permission from the Provincial Police Headquarters before inspections.
The DA will not adhere to this instruction. We have given the MEC 48 hours in which to condemn and retract this unconstitutional directive from the Acting Commissioner.
As representatives of the South African public the DA has a duty to ensure that SAPS is held accountable. That duty requires oversight inspections and station-specific information. This right is upheld within the South African Constitution which empowers Legislature representatives to inspect government facilities and entities within the province. In addition, MPLs are also empowered by Section 206 (3) to obtain information with regard to police conduct, visible policing, police efficiency and effectiveness. Such information ensures that they can hold the police to account and keep all our communities safe.
The importance of SAPS oversight inspections – in particular unannounced visits - cannot be over-emphasised in a province which holds the dubious honour of recording the highest number of murders, culpable homicides and household crimes in the entire country.
These inspections are made all the more important given the recent results of the Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) which revealed that only half of KwaZulu-Natal’s residents are satisfied with the way in which police are carrying out their mandate. This while 14% of those surveyed also said that police ‘never’ arrived, while 34.1% said that they had to wait more than two hours for police assistance. A further 29% of those surveyed also said that they ‘never’ saw the police, in uniform and duty in their area of residence.
The DA will not let this matter rest. We expect the MEC to respond to our ultimatum. In the event that he does not, the DA will not be deterred and will continue to conduct inspections of police stations and SAPS units across KwaZulu-Natal.
We remain committed to fighting for a safer South Africa where people and families feel safe to fulfil their potential; this requires an honest and professional police service
Issued by Zwakele Mncwango,DA K waZulu-Natal Premier Candidate, 24 October 2018
