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It appears that neither the MEC of Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem nor Premier Zamani Saul are in touch with critical leadership developments within the provincial policing sector.

This comes after Bloem yesterday appeared dumbfounded during the provincial legislature’s debates of the Budget Speech, by the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) findings, following my own communication with the National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, who confirmed that the long outstanding recruitment process of a Provincial Police Commissioner was advertised on the 6th of May this year (see letter here). The premier further seemed elusive in response to questions raised in House Sittings by the DA regarding the long awaited appointment.

Today, the DA also learned that an Acting Police Commissioner, Major Gen Koliswa Otola, was in fact appointed on the 1st of May 2022, until further notice. It still remains a mystery as to why neither Bloem nor Saul were able to provide clarity on this.

Since the recent retirement of Acting Police Commissioner Lt Gen Joey Kers, and Lt Gen Risimati Shivuri almost two years ago, SAPS in the province has remained leaderless with nobody to account to the Portfolio Committee of Transport and Safety on policing services in the province.

While we therefore welcome the interim appointment of Otola, it still remains a mystery as to why the provincial government has remained mum on the situation and why we had to launch our own investigation to establish this information.

This government needs to immediately gather a sense of urgency and transparency when it comes to dealing with the safety of the people of this province. With the recent increase in murder, sexual offences and other contact crimes, we cannot allow the nonchalance and apathy in the police service to continue causing a rift between civilians and the police.

Above all, provincial government leadership needs to get on top of who is heading up the police service in the province. The DA will submit further parliamentary questions as we continue to probe the mystery of the Northern Cape’s missing Provincial Police Commissioner.

Issued by Ofentse Mokae, MPL - DA Northern Cape Spokesperson of Transport, Safety & Liaison