The replacement for Jeppe Police Station’s “bunking brigadier” is a similarly ranked officer who was “suspended in June last year after four people were gunned down by a rogue police constable from the station”. But‚ “while this is a blot on his record I hope that he can turn things around in Jeppe where crime has recently spiked upwards”‚ the Democratic Alliance’s Jack Bloom said.Brigadier David Ngcobo replaces Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo who “has been moved…from his position as station commander of Jeppe Police Station after the controversy caused by my disclosure that he was absent for 156 days in two years”‚ said Bloom.This was made up of – “70 vacation days‚ 64 days' temporary incapacity leave and 22 days' sick leave‚ being absent in total about 30% of the time” in the job.Ngcobo was the station commander in Alexandra when the rogue constable went on the rampage.Bloom said that “Mariemuthoo has been appointed as deputy cluster commander where I hope his daily attendance is monitored closely and he does the job he is paid to do”.In March‚ the issue of Mariemuthoo’s absenteeism was placed “under review as a matter of urgency”.Gauteng community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane at the time was reported to have said “there was an ongoing investigation into this matter and that he had been ‘very clever’ to take as many days as possible as he had used different categories of leave”.Bloom had in March said that he suspected that “Mariemuthoo is a serial malingerer” and claimed that when he in charge in Benoni‚ “he was investigated after taking 106 days sick leave‚ 39 days study leave‚ 122 days normal vacation and capped leave‚ as well as three days of family responsibility leave”.Mariemuthoo - who was “temporarily removed from his post there and reinstated following a labour court ruling” – is‚ said Bloom‚ “a poor example at this police station which suffers from a 14% general absenteeism rate”...