Parliament, Wednesday, 27 November 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on Police has today raised serious concern with information that the former head of crime intelligence in the Western Cape, Major-General Mzwandile Tiyo’s Section 34 inquiry dismissal has been revoked and he has instead been encouraged to apply for early retirement. The committee objects that a man implicated in serious crimes and found unfit for office is being encouraged to take early retirement.
“The integrity of the South African Police Service will be in serious disrepute if the SAPS continue in the trajectory of only playing lip-service to the intention to root out rogue elements within the service. The necessary public trust between the people and the SAPS will further be eroded by such illogical actions that are seemingly counterintuitive,” said Mr Ian Cameron, the Chairperson of the committee.
The committee’s concerns are based on the common need for a rebuilding of the SAPS to become a potent tool to combat crime. While it is encouraging that the SAPS is finally making headway in fighting crime and people are starting to have hope of a crime-free country, such actions destroy the good intentions to rebuild and strengthen the SAPS. The unfortunate thing is that such actions negatively affect the morale of the good officers within the service and the people on the ground continue to suffer under the tremendous stress induced by crime, when taxpayer’s monies must now be used to finance lost salaries and pension payouts.
Also, the national instruction 3/2017 is clear that employees with pending criminal or departmental cases against them will not be allowed to apply for early retirement, unless recommended by the National head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, a Provincial Commissioner, a Divisional Commissioner or National Component head after taking into consideration the seriousness of the pending case. The committee is of the view that the national instruction renders the purported encouragement of Major-General Tiyo to take eearly retirement illogical.
“It is most concerning that a whistleblower at the Philippi Training Academy seems to have been targeted mainly for doing the right thing, yet a senior police official implicated in various acts of illegality is being encouraged to take early retirement. This moment presents an opportunity to reflect on the kind of SAPS we want to build,” Mr Cameron emphasised.
Meanwhile, the committee has censured the unreasonable delay finalising the investigation into various allegations of corruption and improper conduct against senior officers at the Philippi Police Training Academy. The investigation started in October 2023 and the SAPS is estimating that it will only conclude the investigation in March 2025. The committee is of the view that an internal investigation cannot take this long, as it feeds into the negative perception that SAPS is protecting its own and is involved in a general cover-up. While the committee acknowledged that the depth of information provided this time is substantive, the fact that the investigation has not been concluded is concerning.
Meanwhile, the committee is alarmed that the focus of the investigation is now primarily on the whistleblower, which will deter any future reporting of improper conduct within the SAPS.
Despite this, the committee welcomed the assurance by SAPS senior management that SAPS is ready to implement the Safer Festive Season 2024/2025 operations. The committee has always maintained that safety and security are the bedrock upon which more tourists will flock to the country, which will induce job creation and economic growth.
The committee urged that the multi-disciplinary approach to combat and prevent various crimes, anchored on intelligence-driven operations, can only ensure successful operations. Furthermore, increased visibility will act as a necessary deterrent and will enable the intensification of any crime-prevention initiatives. But to achieve this, the national and provincial intelligence committees must play a crucial role in analysing critical areas, providing crime pattern analysis and tactical intelligence to inform operational planning and interventions.
“While plans are in place, the effective roll-out of those plans is necessary to ensure that they achieve maximum impact. We cannot have an impressive plan on paper that is not effectively implemented,” Mr Cameron emphasised.
The committee will continue to monitor the implementation of the Safer Festive Season Plan and will also formally raise the matter of Major-General Tiyo to get an official account of the status of the Section 34 inquiry.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON POLICE, MR IAN CAMERON.
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