ActionSA wants urgent parliamentary debate amid SAPS allegations

ActionSA has called for urgent intervention by parliament to address what it describes as a deepening crisis within the SA Police Service (SAPS) and the broader criminal justice system. 

The party said it has written to the speaker of parliament requesting a debate after explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on Sunday at a media briefing, which have raised serious concerns about the integrity and functionality of the SAPS.

Mkhwanazi came out guns blazing, alleging that there was political interference in some cases police were working on.

He also questioned some of the decisions allegedly made by police minister Senzo Mchunu on the dissolution of the political killings task team.

ActionSA said Mkhwanazi's unprecedented claims, pointing to widespread criminal infiltration and corruption at the highest levels of the SAPS, including the minister of police, raises grave concerns about the integrity and functionality of the country’s law enforcement leadership and, more critically, the troubling national security threat this poses.

“Recognising the unprecedented nature of a police commissioner publicly speaking out about national colleagues and the minister of police no less, including allegations of the deliberate sabotage of efforts to combat political killings and the direct involvement of senior police leadership in organised crime, represents one of the most alarming indictments of the state's security apparatus in democratic South Africa,” said ActionSA MP Dereleen James.

“ActionSA has repeatedly warned that South Africa's criminal justice system has been hollowed out by those tasked with eradicating criminality, with the leadership vacuum in crime intelligence further deepening the crisis.”

James said Mkhwanazi’s remarks were a clear indication that the situation had reached breaking point. 

“Parliament must therefore intervene without delay, as responsibility cannot rest solely with the minister of police or the president, who have presided over the escalation and deepening of this crisis.

“ActionSA supports all legitimate and lawful efforts to root out corruption and contain the rampant crime rate in our country. We are determined to use every legislative tool at our disposal to defend those who are determined and dedicated to combating the scourge of crime and corruption and expose those who undermine these efforts.”

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