Mbalula must clean up SAPS leadership

30 October 2017

The DA is not surprised by revelations that the Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, is in possession of a memorandum by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) detailing allegations that Acting National Police Commissioner (NPC), Lieutenant General Lesetja Mothiba, incited subordinates to defy lawful instructions from Mbalula.

Reports further allege that Mothiba sent senior officers to Brooklyn Police Station to retrieve a docket in which he is a suspect, discussed this docket with his Intelligence Adviser and wrote to Mbalula recommending that the complainant in the matter, a senior Crime Intelligence official, be dismissed from his position.

Mbalula must come clean about the truth of these allegations and, if found to be true, he must urge President Jacob Zuma to fire Mothiba, as the President is the one responsible for the hiring and firing of the NPC.

We have long held that instability, integrity deficits and incompetence in the South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership is having a negative impact on the crime-fighting effectiveness of the police service.

The tenures of former NPCs Selebi, Cele, Phiyega, Phahlane and now Mothiba are testament to this.

The Victims of Crime survey, Crime Statistics revelations that 52 people are murdered and 109 raped every day and #BlackMonday have made it clear that the South African public no longer trust the police.

It is imperative that a permanent NPC be appointed as soon as possible.

Mbalula has been promising to have a permanent appointee in the position since he took over in April and to have it sorted out by the end of the year. The DA can only interpret this as yet another empty promise because he has not shown any progress to date of facilitating a credible and transparent process.

SAPS leadership needs to be cleaned up so that they can bring down the extremely high level of crime.

When Mbalula addresses Parliament tomorrow during the debate on the scourge of crime and murder in South Africa, the DA expects nothing less than a full plan to improve SAPS leadership.

Issued by Zakhele Mbhele, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 30 October 2017