National Police Days cost SAPS R109 million

The 2012 Special Investigating Unit (SIU) Interim Report reveals that the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa appears to have misled Parliament about the cost of the celebration of National Police Day in 2010 and 2011. The report also reveals that no tender processes were followed in the awarding of the contracts for the celebrations. 

According to the report on the SIU's investigation on the 2010 and 2011 Police Days tabled in Parliament this week: "It was established that the following amounts were paid out towards the two National Police Days: R29 million (2010) and R80 million (2011)"

The SIU has identified the following irregularities to date:

• no tender procedures were followed;
• potential abuse of the three quote procedure;
• potential conflict of interest between suppliers and officials; and
• potential splitting of orders.

Disgraced former Police Commissioner, Bheki Cele was the Chief Financial Officer of the police at the time and since his dismissal, the Minister has been avoiding providing the correct details of these National Police Days. In various replies to parliamentary questions put to him by the DA since 2010, he has either failed to disclose the figures or gave different figures and claimed that it was budgeted for. For example, in a reply to a parliamentary question in 2011, the Minister claimed the 2011 National Police Day cost R36 348 757. According to the SIU interim report, it actually cost R80 million.

A reply to a DA parliamentary question earlier this year states that the SIU has now completed its investigation of the SAPS Police Days and is preparing a final report to be issued to SAPS. The DA will write to the Acting Head of the SIU, Advocate Nomvula Mokhatla, requesting that this report be tabled in Parliament. Once the report has been tabled, the DA will:

• request punitive action be taken against Minister Mthethwa including disciplinary action for misleading of Parliament;
• ensure that punitive action is taken against officials responsible for tender irregularities;
• check that the investigation looked into possible close family ties between those who benefitted, and members of the SAPS top structure; and 
• if necessary, take the report to the Hawks and open a criminal case against the then NPC and Chief Financial Officer Bheki Cele.

The police must be celebrated for the hard work that they do and the DA fully supports morale-boosting days such as these to be celebrated in each of our provinces and stations. However, the budget must be clearly defined and Police Day celebrations should be focused on celebrating our hardworking men and women in blue, not the National Minister or Police Commissioner.

The DA looks forward to the finalisation of this matter and hopefully it will provide clarity as to who is responsible for this gross mismanagement of funds.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, August 29 2013

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