Phiyega's reshuffle: a gallery of rogues
All three new provincial police commissioners appointed today by Riah Phiyega, the National Police Commissioner, have black dots against their names.
The DA will request that Phiyega be summoned to Parliament to explain her reasons for appointing police officers with sullied records to head up policing in three provinces.
Phiyega's rogues' gallery includes the following:
- Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt-General Bethuel Zuma - currently facing drunk driving charges as well as charges for escaping lawful custody and defeating the ends of justice;
- Free State Police Commissioner Lt-General Simon Mpembe - reportedly bought a brand new white BMW X5 and had it resprayed black for official duties at a cost of thousands to the SAPS purely because he couldn't wait a few weeks for a black one to be available; and
- Limpopo Police Commissioner Lt-General Fannie Masemola - reportedly bought a fleet of 140 new vehicles at a cost of R35 million for various police units just so that the crime intelligence budget could be spent.
Added to this, the new Deputy National Commissioner, Christabel Mbekela, has been in the process of creating a Police University for the last three years without seeking Parliament's approval which involved numerous overseas trips and a budget. The first time the Portfolio Committee of Police heard of the University was last month despite planning being at an advanced stage.
The reshuffle presented an opportunity for the National Police Commissioner to restore the public's confidence in SAPS, and she has once again disappointed.
We hope that Phiyega's questionable judgment will not be detrimental to SAPS and affect the good work of thousands of hard-working and committed police officers in Limpopo, Gauteng and the Free State.
Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, August 31 2013
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