Staff Reporter.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thandi Modise, says law enforcement agencies are turning the screws on fraud and corruption in the country.
Modise was addressing a media briefing of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster on Sunday.
“Despite the challenges, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the public will have seen that the wheels of justice, in relation to corruption, are starting to move more quickly and effectively.
“A number of notable arrests and court processes have been initiated in recent weeks, involving accused persons in the public and private sectors, including priority State capture matters.
“The efforts by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies are indeed starting to pay off, and more will be achieved when all are adequately capacitated to meet the extreme challenges of addressing State capture and high level complex corruption,” she said.
Modise said the JCPS Cluster is in full support of investigations into all those implicated in corruption and fraud.
“We wholly support the call made by the President that all those who are implicated and benefited unlawfully from State capture corruption and corruption related to the procurement of personal protective equipment must face the full might of the law.
“The NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the Hawks] are collaborating to ensure that all implicated persons are brought to justice swiftly and appropriately.”
According to Modise, a new leader for the NPA’s Investigating Directorate will soon be announced following the resignation of former head, Hermione Cronje, in December last year.
“After a challenging set-up phase, the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID) is entering a new phase of impact under new leadership that will be appointed soon, with the right skills and resources to deliver on its mandate to tackle the most complex crimes, with a prosecution-guided investigation model.”
The Minister said law enforcement agencies are now collaborating with the Financial Intelligence Centre to combat financial crimes.
“These agencies — which include the DPCI, the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit, Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, Investigations Directorate, Financial Sector Conduct Authority, Special Investigating Unit, Crime Intelligence, SSA, the South African Reserve Bank and South African Revenue Service — have issued 55 high priority financial intelligence reports that have been used to identify high-priority investigations.”
Modise also announced new measures in the protection of whistle blowers.
“All the measures that are put in place to fight corruption will not succeed if they are not supported by an effective whistle-blowing and witness protection system.
“A team reporting to the Anti-Corruption Task Team has been appointed to review the Protected Disclosures Act… and other applicable legislation, and undertake a comparative study of other jurisdictions to strengthen whistle-blower protection, “she said.
Meanwhile the South African Police Service (SAPS) is on a recruitment drive, which is expected to boost the service with at least 12 000 more officers by the end of the year.
“The recruitment of 7 000 [officers] is in its final stages, while later in the year, the SAPS will recruit 5 000 to undergo training next year. The 7 000 are from the 2019/2020 intake, which was ready to embark on the Basic Police and Development Programme when the country was put under hard lockdown in March 2020.
“The training of this 7 000, plus an additional 3 000 made up of SAPS reservists and public service administration members, will commence in the 2022/2023 financial year.”
According to Modise, SAPS is also on a drive to recruit Bachelor of Science graduates and those from other fields of study.
“This will increase the strength of SAPS in its mandate to prevent and fight crime in communities. We will continually assess the capacity levels within SAPS and recruit accordingly to ensure that we increase the strength of the police from 180 000 officers to service the county’s population of more than 60 million people.”
Modise, also said the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) stands ready to provide support to law enforcement agencies to help maintain stability in the country.
“The SANDF will continue to be on standby to protect all national key points, as well as economic corridors of the country, from any disruption or blockages, either arising from protesting truck drivers or any disruptive elements.
“The SANDF continues to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic and as such, continues to conduct border-safeguarding operations – in particular land borders. This is in order to curb cross border movement of undocumented persons, illicit goods and drugs, weapons, livestock and stolen vehicles.