Acting head of Ipid set to be grilled by MPS

THE acting head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate

(Ipid), Vincent Ofentse Senna, will face MPS this week to put forward his plans for the organisation and explain how he will bring about stability.

Senna’s appearance before MPS on Wednesday comes after the portfolio committee on police wrote to Minister of Police Bheki Cele to appear before them with Senna.

Chairperson of the committee Francois Beukman said yesterday they wanted Cele to brief them on Senna’s appointment and provide his career history. Senna has worked for several departments in the finance divisions and he has been the chief financial officer of Ipid since February last year.

Senna’s appointment came a day after former Ipid boss Robert Mcbride left after his contract expired. On Friday former acting police boss Khomotso Phahlane was arrested on fraud charges along with another official from supply chain management in the police. Phahlane accused Mcbride of being behind the arrests.

In his earlier court application Mcbride had accused several senior police officers of being allegedly involved in corruption amounting to hundreds of millions of rands. Mcbride had planned to brief MPS on these allegations but the briefing was delayed due to court cases.

Beukman said it was important Ipid’s work was not compromised and that was why they told Cele to brief them on Senna’s appointment as he would act in the position for the next three months.

Beukman said they also wanted Senna to maintain stability at Ipid and to brief them on his priorities.

“We must get a statement from the acting executive director of Ipid that there is service delivery.”

He said it was Ipid’s job to investigate all allegations against the police. “Ipid is an important oversight institution to root out criminality and corruption in the SAPS and metro police services,” said Beukman.

He said Cele and Senna had to assure the committee work would be done without any interference until a permanent head was appointed.

The law allows the minister to nominate the person to serve as Ipid head and Parliament will have to approve it.

During the week’s events in Parliament over the Mcbride issue the DA called the process of considering the request by Cele not to renew the contract a sham.

This was after ANC MPS accused Mcbride of being an ill-disciplined member of the party. In his urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court Mcbride said the parliamentary process was a predetermined outcome.