Three Eastern Cape station commanders have been sacked by police management for apparent "insubordination" after walking out of a top management meeting late last year.
DA MPL, Marshall von Buchenroder, said in a statement on Friday that he was shocked to learn of the dismissal of Humewood Station Commander, Brigadier Leonie Bentley, Gelvandale Station Commander, Brigadier Lawrence Soekoe and Brigadier Ronald Koll.
He said it would appear that their dismissal "comes off the back of trumped-up charges and "seems to be racially motivated."
"The dismissals of Bentley, Soekoe and Koll stem from a meeting wherein they raised objection to the appointment of Brigadier Thandiswa Kupiso as Mount Road cluster commander," Von Buchenroder said.
"The objection was raised against the backdrop of a collective agreement entered into between the SA Police Service and the two leading police unions, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and the SA Police Union (Sapu)."
"Based on the agreement, certain positions such as that of cluster commanders would no longer exist, and a court interdict prevented such appointments from being made."
Von Buchenroder said the three asked to be excused from the meeting when it became heated.
"Evidence, including minutes from the meeting and a recording, show that permission was given, but the three have now been dismissed on charges of insubordination, for allegedly walking out of the meeting without permission," he said.
The DA said it would be taking up the matter with Community Safety MEC, Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe, Provincial Police Commissioner LieutenantGeneral Liziwe Ntshinga, and the EC Legislature Speaker, Helen Sauls-August.
Algoa FM News understands that the three were found guilty on Thursday following a protracted disciplinary process and a recommendation for dismissal was made on Friday.
