Spare us another incompetent police official like Phiyega

12 November 2015 - 02:09 By The Times Editorial

As the country suffers massive drought and high temperatures, spare a thought for suspended police commissioner Riah Phiyega. Yesterday, a ministerial reference group appointed by Police Minister Nathi Nhleko recommended that she face another board of inquiry. It said she should be found guilty of gross misconduct, fraud and perjury.The latest recommendation will put another nail in her coffin as she waits to appear before a board of inquiry called by President Jacob Zuma following the scathing Farlam Commission report into the Marikana massacre.We have said it before and we say it again: Phiyega was never fit to manage our police service. She was clueless about her role as commissioner and she failed before she could even move into her office.But to blame her would be irresponsible.Zuma and those around him took a decision to bring Phiyega on board and told us that she was capable of turning our police service around.The ANC defended Phiyega's appointment, saying she would infuse renewed energy into the national fight against crime. "We are confident that under her able stewardship the country's crime statistics will continue decreasing as we continue to strive for safer and [more] secure communities," it said.Since that cold day in June 2012 when Zuma announced her as our police commissioner the opposite has happened.The media have been vilified and told they had an agenda against Phiyega. Those who called for a career policeman to take charge were shouted down.But three years later she stands accused of gross misconduct, fraud and perjury.We hope that Zuma and the ANC will in future avoid the mistake of appointing "good people" into posts that require skills.This nation could have been spared Phiyega if our hopes and fears were taken into consideration.Spare us the pain and just fire Phiyega today...

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