‘Politicking’ police called to Parliament

NATIONAL police spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale is ordered to appear before Parliament’s police committee next week as steps unfold towards an investigation into the SAPS top provincial brass’s truthfulness over their controversial politicking in support of their embattled boss.

Parliamentary Rule 201 allows for such an investigation, and if it is instituted as insiders say was likely, it would be an unprecedented move. Parliamentary Rule 138 allows MPs to summons any person or call for the production of any document.

The committee yesterday also demanded the original electronic recording, and the agenda and attendance register of the Magoebaskloof meeting where the provincial police commissioners, in the presence of their boss General Riah Phiyega, discussed their support for her. The performance agreements of the provincial commissioners were also requested.

As the police committee had received the minutes of that meeting, the request for the original sound recording is a sign of MPs’ concern that the police were economical with the truth in their interactions with parliamentarians over the past two weeks.

The Magoebaskloof meeting took place two weeks before the controversial statement supporting Phiyega was issued on August 1. The statement came a day after Phiyega submitted reasons to President Jacob Zuma why she should keep her job. She faces a board of inquiry after the Marikana commission of inquiry found she had misled it.

MPs have been united in their anger over the police’s move into politics, which they described as blurring the line between public servants and politicians. MPs also slated the public backing of Phiyega while Zuma applied his mind to a possible board of inquiry as undermining the president.

Last week, the provincial commissioners apologised for their actions. However, the withdrawal of the August 1 statement, as ordered by MPs, didn’t happen. Instead, a statement was issued to “correct misconceptions” and to repeat what MPs had already rejected: that the August 1 media release was merely to dispel media reports of disarray.

The initial controversial statement backing Phiyega was issued by Makgale, who also issued last week’s statement that sparked MPs’ ire as it inaccurately attributed views to the committee. Both statements were issued on behalf of the Board of Commissioners, the structure on which the provincial SAPS top brass sit.

Since last week, MPs have asked question on the process and protocols followed by the provincial police commissioners, sitting as the board of commissioners in Magoebaskloof. Questions were also raised about the delay between the discussions at the meeting in mid-July and the eventual issuing of the statement.

The waters were muddied further on Tuesday when only four provincial commissioners unreservedly associated themselves with the previous apology. The others supported the subsequent statement even though MPs said it didn’t amount to the demanded withdrawal of the controversial August 1 statement.

Unprecedented move if Rule 201 is instituted