By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National police commissioner Fannie Masemola said Wednesday, he is awaiting a summons from President Cyril Ramaphosa to give his account amid the ongoing turmoil shaking South Africa’s law enforcement.
This in response to accusations that KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, made against police minister Senzo Mchunu and certain members of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Masemola described the current situation as “unprecedented” and “concerning” and said it requires “uncompromising intervention to restore stability in the organisation.”
“We fully acknowledge the commitment made by His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said he would attend to this matter as soon as he arrives in the country,” Masemola said.
“We are ready to brief the president, and as such, the national commissioner could not have done anything now.We await and will engage the president as and when he calls us.”
Masemola revealed that Mkhwanazi has been receiving threats and that his security has been increased.
Asked whether he would take action against Mkhwanazi, Masemola said he was waiting for Ramaphosa’s intervention but made clear there would be no persecution of the police commissioner.
“In terms of physical protection, he has been getting threats to his life in that province. We have beefed up his security, but he won’t be persecuted from my side. Surely, there will be no persecution of any member of the South African Police Service – not only him but anyone,” Masemola said.
Underpinning Masemola’s announcements on Wednesday was, of course, Mkhwanazi’s press conference a few days earlier that exposed irrefutable divisions in South Africa’s law-enforcing arena.
Meanwhile SAPS destroyed 12 499 firearms in Vanderbijlpark. Of these, 9,748 are handguns, 1 334 are rifles, 872 are shotguns, and 45 are combination firearms.
The firearms, parts, and ammunition were seized during various policing activities, including Operation Shanela, and subsequently forfeited to the State.
Some are linked to finalised cases involving violent crimes, including violence against women and children, cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies, as well as firearms voluntarily surrendered or handed in during the Amnesty period.