Ipid contract dialogue delayed
PARLIAMENT has deferred the discussion on handling the termination or renewal of employment contract of Independent Policing Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride to tomorrow.
The matter was scheduled to be discussed at the portfolio committee’s meeting yesterday, but it was deferred.
Briefing the portfolio committee yesterday, committee chairperson Francois Beukman said National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete referred McBride’s employment contract to the committee last week.
Beukman said since there was now a court ruling, the committee needed a copy of the court order before deliberating on the matter.
“We have to change the programme for next week. We will meet early on Thursday morning to agree on a programme, before the budget response by President Cyril Ramaphosa,” he said.
McBride launched an urgent application with the High Court in Pretoria to have Minister of Police Bheki Cele’s decision not to renew his employment declared unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid.
Yesterday, Independent Media reported that McBride reached an agreement with Cele that the portfolio committee on police, instead of the minister, would decide whether or not to renew his contract.
It also agreed the committee would make its decision by February 28 and that the matter would again be enrolled on the urgent roll on February 26.
Yesterday, the SAPS told the committee the anti-gang unit had identified 60 gangs across the country with at least 20 being in the Western Cape.
This was revealed by Major-General Leon Rabie when he briefed the police portfolio committee on the police antigang strategy and roll-out of anti-gang units yesterday.
The unit was launched by Cele and Ramaphosa in Cape Town last November.
Rabie said the unit had also made 334 arrests, monitored 70 operations and confiscated 104 firearms and 13 vehicles during the period under review. He also told of gang leaders being identified and profiled.
According to Rabie, more than 3 000 dockets were either being investigated or handed over for prosecution.
“There has been successes of arrests. We are looking at proper witness protection,” Rabie said.
He told the committee of implementation of school safety strategy in Western Cape to create a safe environment for children.
“The majority of schools within areas targeted through anti-gang unit are functional. They are not without problems.”
More than 1 500 schools are linked to the school safety strategy, which involved the Education Department and other stakeholders.
Rabie revealed that there were plans of drafting a safer city model with stakeholders and launch a youth and spiritual crime prevention strategy.
Cosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich said there has been growing levels of criminality.
“Some criminals use the Constitution and legislation to defend their own interests. We need to find a way to respond to this urgently,” Ehrenreich said.