Parliament’s police portfolio committee chair Ian Cameron is demanding police minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy commissioner Shadrack Sibiya face urgent parliamentary scrutiny after KwaZulu-Natal police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused them of protecting criminals.
Cameron said Mkhwanazi's revelations reveal why crime is rife in the country.
Mkhwanazi stunned the nation on Sunday, alleging political interference by Mchunu and Sibiya. Mkhwanazi claimed they disbanded the political killings task team to shield a criminal syndicate.
Listen to Cameron:
Cameron welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pledge to address the issue but urged urgent action on his return from Brazil. “Accountability is necessary and people deserve to know and feel that the SA Police Service is made of men and women who are ready to serve in the interest of the country and not for selfish reasons,” Cameron said.
The committee is demanding urgent lifestyle and skills audits of senior police management and has called for a parliamentary debate on police integrity and its impact on crime-fighting efforts. It has written to the speaker to summon key figures to give account.
“Those dockets [that Mkhwanazi mentioned] or the process regarding them should be frozen until an independent inquiry can be done. I think it is a massive risk to just leave them in the system after what we heard yesterday [Sunday]” Cameron said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has weighed in on the damning allegations recently made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi about political interference in the SAPS.
Speaking to the media after his participation at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday, the president admitted to being aware of the revelations made by Mkhwanazi.
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