Phahlane defends cop’s chopper ride to Wimpy
NORTHERN Cape police commissioner Risimati Shivuri, who used the province’s only police helicopter to fly to a Wimpy and to retrieve a jacket, has the backing of national police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane.
Shivuri will, however, still have to explain himself after the DA laid a complaint at the Independent Police Investigative Inspectorate.
The Sunday Times reported that Shivuri flew 4km to have breakfast at the Wimpy in Colesberg while the ANC’s Northern Cape elective conference was taking place two weeks ago, and also sent the helicopter on a 30km trip to retrieve a jacket he had forgotten at the Gariep Dam.
Northern Cape police spokesman Mohale Ramatseba earlier denied that Shivuri had flown to have breakfast at Colesberg’s Wimpy, but witnesses who saw the events at the restaurant have confirmed the bizarre events.
“A helicopter landing next to our town’s Wimpy for breakfast isn’t something one easily forgets,” a Colesberg resident said this week.
The events also came up during parliamentary discussions on supply chain management and procurement in the police committee last week.
Deputy national police commissioner Stefan Schutte told parliament that while an investigation into the use of the helicopter should be allowed to run its course “shooting from the hip from my side would not have been appropriate”.
However, Phahlane disagreed with his deputy, and refused to release details contained in the helicopter’s log book.
“Commissioner Shivuri was executing his responsibilities as is his mandate. At all times he was in the vicinity of the event he was policing. The Gariep Dam, the Colseberg Wimpy and all other locations allegedly visited by him are in the proximity of the ruling party conference he was policing,” Phahlane said.
“I am satisfied with the explanation he [gave].”