There’s been mixed reaction from opposition parties to reports that a Commision of Inquiry has found national police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, unfit to hold office.
According to weekend reports, the Claasen Inquiry had also recommended the Phiyega be fired.
President Jacob Zuma ordered that a Commission of Inquiry probe Phiyega’s fitness to hold office following the inquiry into the the Marikana Massacre.
COPE MP, Dennis Bloem, said Sunday that Phiyega should “shoulder all the blame for what happened at Marikana where 34 miners were massacred.”
“We have said on many occasions that Phiyega must not be made a scapegoat and to cover-up for senior leaders in Government. The present ANC government is undermining the Constitution and regularly subverting due processes through manipulation and interference. There are very worried people who want to see her gone, but we know that her fierce determination to protect her name is making the government very nervous and anxious.,” Bloem said.
“All of us know that the massacre at Marikana was too big to lay at the door of one person.”
“It is common knowledge that Mr Cyril Ramaphosa was in close touch with Minister Nathi Mthethwa in the days leading up to the massacre. These discussions must indeed have some bearing on the decision that was taken to employ live ammunition and to order hearses. If the government’s role in the massacre is revealed, the damage it will suffer will be immense,” Bloem added.
DA spokesperson, Zakhele Mbhele said it appeared that the final report had been ready since November 13. Section 8(6) of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Act stated that: “At the conclusion of the inquiry, the board shall submit its report to (i) the president; (ii) the commissioner concerned; and (iii) the parliamentary committees.”
“While the DA welcomes the finding that Phiyega is unfit for office, as we have long and consistently argued, we maintain that the terms of reference of the inquiry should have been widened to include all of Phiyega’s failings during her tenure so that the premise for arriving at this accurate conclusion was a comprehensive one. The DA made submissions last year to President Zuma to this effect,” Mbhele said.
“Phiyega had presided over the “persistent and chronic decline” of the SAPS and compromised its ability to ensure that ordinary South Africans were safe and secure in their homes, workplaces, and on the streets.”
“Until South Africans were free from fear, they could not reach their full potential and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.”
“It is now time that our police service is led by experienced and competent senior management with integrity who will ensure the safety of all South Africans by capacitating every police station with the personnel, vehicles, facilities, equipment, and training they need to combat crime effectively,” Mbhele said.
