EDITOR – It is simply beyond belief that SAPS national commissioner, Rhia Piyega, could have appointed Major General Zuma as the Gauteng police commissioner without knowledge of the several criminal charges he was facing.
In an embarrassing about-face she was forced to withdraw the appointment, but only after the opposition and media brought these charges to her attention.
For such a spectacular oversight to occur at such a senior level sounds a warning bell for other appointments. It is clear that there was no proper vetting process adopted, even the most rudimentary search would have revealed Zuma’s charges.
The SAPS is responsible for detecting and apprehending criminals, yet it appears that they cannot even identify those in their own ranks who have been on the wrong side of the law.
This does not bode well for their ability to deal with crime in our country. The other obvious question that remains is why Zuma was still serving at such a senior level with no disciplinary action having being instituted arising from the serious charges he was facing.
It is abundantly obvious that Phiyega needs to do far more in order to weed out thousands of criminal elements within her own police force. Far more stringent vetting and recruitment policies need to be introduced.
Just two months ago Phiyega assured the nation that she would be weeding out these ‘rogue’ elements in the force, her recent actions however show that not even she has a handle on the extent her police service is compromised.
John Steenhuisen MP
Shadow Minister: COGTA
Parliament of RSA
