Phiyega’s suspended spokesperson guilty of misconduct

SUSPENDED police spokesperson Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale has been found guilty of misconduct in relation to statements issued in support of embattled top cop Riah Phiyega.

Despite this, a report states that Makgale was not found to be guilty of attempting to defend suspended national police commissioner Phiyega.

The report, seen by The Star, indicates that Makgale and deputy national commissioner of corporate service management, Lieutenant-General Christabel Mbekela, were found to be guilty of all the charges they faced, apart from one.

Makgale would not comment on the matter.

The report, which is yet to be tabled in Parliament, states that the pair “sought to mislead the portfolio committee regarding what had taken place during the SAPS board of commissioners meeting in relation to discussions leading to the compilation of the August 1, 2015 statement titled ‘The SAPS board of commissioners fully supports General Riah Phiyega’.”

It further states that the pair provided false and incomplete information to the portfolio committee in relation to the circumstances and discussions leading to the compilation of the statement in question.

Makgale and Mbekela were found to be guilty of being unco-operative in relation to the information they conveyed to the portfolio committee regarding the events at the Limpopo meeting, and were found to be guilty of conducting themselves in an improper manner regarding the information they conveyed.

Makgale was suspended for releasing media statements on August 1, 2015 allegedly defending Phiyega and misleading the portfolio committee on the police.

Mbekela was suspended after she did a radio interview claiming that Phiyega was being targeted because she is a woman.

In August 2015, the Board of Provincial Police Commissioners issued a statement in support of Phiyega, a day after she submitted her response to President Jacob Zuma relating to the recommendation of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry that her fitness for office be investigated.

While the police portfolio committee directed the commissioners to withdraw their statement and apologise, Makgale issued another statement on their behalf almost two weeks later to “correct the misconceptions” created by the initial statement.

A source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said politicians were up in arms when the statement was released, saying it had been issued in support of Phiyega against Zuma.

Mbekela could also not be reached for comment.