The process to appoint a Provincial Police Commissioner for the Northern Cape has not even been started, an oversight meeting reveals, the DA says.
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Ofentse Mokae, MPL and DA’s Northern Cape Provincial Spokesperson on Transport, Safety & Liaison says the DA will send correspondence to the Office of the Premier to query the delay in the appointment of a Provincial Police Commissioner for the Northern Cape. He says: “We trust that the Premier will respond within seven working days given the gravity of this matter.”
“This comes after it was revealed during an oversight meeting with Acting Police Commissioner, Major General Henriette De Waal on Friday last week, that the appointment of a suitable and qualified person for the Provincial Police Commissioner post has not yet been concluded. In fact, the Committee for Safety has not even met to start the process by nominating a suitable candidate.”
“It is further worrisome to note that just last year, provincial officials of the ANC supported the name of Major-General Phiwe Mnguni as the preferred candidate. ANC Provincial Secretary, Deshi Ngxanga, even went so far as to request the Deputy President to consider Mnguni for the post.”
The DA smells a rat
“As per Chapter 11, Section 207 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, ‘The National Commissioner, with the concurrence of the Provincial Executive, must appoint a woman or a man as the Provincial Commissioner for that province, but if the National Commissioner and the Provincial Executive are unable to agree on the appointment, the Cabinet member responsible for policing must mediate between the parties.’”
Mokae says: “Given the key role that the Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, plays in making this appointment, I will therefore engage with him about the delay. I want to understand what his intentions are, why the process of recommendations has not yet commenced in committees and what he is going to do to speed up the process.”
“A post as critical as that of Provincial Police Commissioner needs to be filled with urgency as it is currently stalling the stability of the South African Police Services (SAPS) and thereby threatening the safety of the whole of the Northern Cape.”
“The DA hopes that the undue delays are not politically motivated. The line between the party and the state must not be crossed when it comes to matters of policing and safety.”
“The people of the Northern Cape need to be served by an apolitical police service that is internally stable, and capable of effecting fair, honest and reliable policing,” Mokae concludes.