Police chief beats union in court duel

Bid to avert changes cast aside

ACTING Police Commissioner Johannes Phahlane yesterday scored a major victory in a turf war with the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru).

The Labour Court in Johannesburg dismissed the union’s bid to interdict Phahlane from making changes to police management.

Popcru argued in court papers that Phahlane was changing the SAPS management without consulting the union, which went against prior agreements.

But at the heart of the battle is the union’s belief that Phahlane was shifting some of the top cops from influential positions to make way for loyalists who will help him replace suspended police commissioner Riah Phiyega.

In court papers, Popcru – a vocal supporter of Phiyega – argued that Phahlane’s changes would not improve police service delivery.

Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, acting for Popcru, cited the appointment of former acting head of crime intelligence Bongiwe Zulu as head of police research and former acting police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as divisional commander of human resources as prime examples of how Phahlane was restructuring without consulting the union.

Zulu was appointed by Phiyega and was believed to be one of the casualties in an alleged purge of Phiyega supporters.

Phahlane also moved former Gauteng provincial commissioner Lesetja Mothiba to a newly created position at the headquarters.

Ntsebeza said Popcru had declared a dispute at the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council and wanted Phahlane to wait for the process to be concluded before making further changes.

Phahlane’s supporters maintain that he is building a team that could be trusted to deliver.

They have argued that, like Phahlane, Phiyega made changes when she became commissioner.

On Tuesday Popcru spokesman Richard Mamabolo said the SAPS restructuring was “a ploy for Phahlane’s ambition”.

He said the changes were wreaking havoc on police work. “There is brewing dissatisfaction among operational members as they do not know who to listen to, and as we speak, clusters in provinces are being reduced without any consultation, with many police not knowing where they are going to work and where these clusters are to be situated,” Mamabolo said.

“The acting National Commissioner is desperately aspiring to be confirmed as a permanent National Commissioner,” he added.

Yesterday, following the legal defeat, Mamabolo said Popcru would make its plans known, adding that the union had not lost on the merits of the case, but had failed to convince the court of the urgency of the matter.

“Changes a ploy for Phahlane’s ambition