Parliamentary committee to discuss Claassen Inquiry report on Phiyega

30 January 2017

Johannesburg - Parliament’s police portfolio committee is still deciding how to handle the Claassen Board of Inquiry’s report on suspended police commissioner Riah Phiyega.

The committee had scheduled a meeting for Thursday to discuss referring the report to the Presidency, as President Jacob Zuma had appointed the board, chairperson Francois Beukman said.

The committee would take legal advice on how to deal with the document, as it was still classified as confidential.

"It may be prudent at this stage to wait for the outcome of the review application before we proceed," Beukman said.

On Thursday, Phiyega filed papers in the High Court in Pretoria seeking to review and set aside Judge Neels Claassen’s findings.

Beukman said the committee would continue monitoring the implementation of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations on public order policing, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s ongoing probe into the August 2012 Marikana shootings.

SAPS and IPID were expected to give an update to the committee on March 15.

Phiyega argued in her court papers that Claassen’s findings were irrational and based on an error in law.

The Claassen inquiry into Phiyega’s fitnesss to hold office was set up following a recommendation by the Farlam commission.

Judge Ian Farlam investigated the deaths of 44 people during a strike at Lonmin in August 2012.

On August 16, police shot dead 34 miners while trying to disperse and disarm them. Ten people, including two police officers and two Lonmim security guards, were killed in the previous week.

The Claassen inquiry found that Phiyega had decided on the "tactical" option, which led to police opening fire on the strikers.

Phiyega denies this.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.