The Democratic Alliance (DA) will today write to the chairperson of the Public Service Commission, to request that the PSC investigates whether proper procedures were followed in the appointment of Hlula Msimang as Ekurhuleni metro police chief.

Ekurhuleni municipality officials have been quoted in the press as saying that proper procedures were not adhered to in the appointment of Mr. Msimang, son of controversial ex-Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. Mr. Msimang was initially appointed to head the department, but later resigned -- allegedly because correct procedures had not been followed. However, now he has been reappointed.

If this is the case, it appears that ANC cronyism is alive and well in the Ekurhuleni municipality - and given that Mr. Msimang's initial appointment appears to have been flawed, it seems doubtful whether any procedures followed during his reappointment were anything more than window dressing.

In support of this, the same officials also claim that no post was advertised, and that neither the public, nor internal staff were made aware of the vacancy to which Mr. Msimang was appointed. The Public Service Commission needs to establish whether this was indeed the case and, if so, it needs to make appropriate recommendations.

It is notable that Mr. Msimang has a chequered past in the Police Service. In 2006, he was accused of assaulting, injuring and without a warrant trying to arrest a woman at Menlyn shopping centre in the east of Pretoria. The case was settled out of court. However, this incident has left deep questions about Mr. Msimang's suitability for a post as important as Ekurhuleni police chief.

What is equally concerning is that, prior to Mr. Msimang's appointment, the community safety portfolio committee had not met for three months due to ‘restructuring of the mayoral committee'. This meant there has been no opportunity at all for councillors to discuss a replacement for Mr. McBride after his dismissal last September. Thus, this decision appears to have been taken without input, transparency or consultation.

Once again the ANC policies of nepotism and cadre deployment appear to have landed a family member in a high profile position. The alleged flouting of procedure flies in the face of the ANC government's commitments to good governance - but are the inevitable concomitant of its deeply flawed cadre deployment policy. In these circumstances, we believe the PSC needs to investigate the appointment, determine whether there were any irregularities, and make recommendations as appropriate.