Zuma Suspends Police Chief, Appoints Acting Top Cop
PRETORIA – President Jacob Zuma has appointed an acting chief of the South African Police Service after suspending General Victoria Phiyega pending an enquiry into her fitness to hold office. The Acting National Commissioner will be Lieutenant-General Johannes Khomotso Phahlane, currently the Divisional Commissioner for Forensic Services, it was announced by the president’s office on Wednesday. A […]
PRETORIA – President Jacob Zuma has appointed an acting chief of the South African Police Service after suspending General Victoria Phiyega pending an enquiry into her fitness to hold office.
The Acting National Commissioner will be Lieutenant-General Johannes Khomotso Phahlane, currently the Divisional Commissioner for Forensic Services, it was announced by the president’s office on Wednesday.
A board of enquiry is at present looking into Piyega’s actions leading up to the police shootings on striking workers at the Marikana mine in 2012 that left 34 dead. There have been allegations against Phiyega of misconduct, her fitness to hold office and her capacity to execute official duties efficiently.
The board of enquiry will also consider whether the report prepared by Phiyega for the president in 2012 and the media statement subsequently issued were deliberately amended to conceal the fact that there were two shooting incidents – known as scene 1 and scene 2 – resulting in misleading the public that all the deaths had occurred at scene 1 which arose out of members of SAPS having to defend themselves from an advancing mass.
Partly sourced from The Presidency and SANews.gov.za