Acting top cop shows the middle finger to Parliament's police portfolio committee

04 August 2017 - 16:05 By Bongani Mthethwa
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Lieutenant General. Lesetja Mothiba.
Lieutenant General. Lesetja Mothiba.
Image: Gallo Images / Beeld / Cornel van Heerden

The new acting national police commissioner‚ Lieutenant-General Lesetja Mothiba‚ has incurred the wrath of Parliament’s portfolio committee on police after he twice failed to show up after being summoned.

Mothiba was scheduled to brief the committee on Friday morning in Durban on the difficulties faced by cops in KwaZulu-Natal.

The province has been plagued by a spate of political killings over the last two years. But he only informed its chairperson‚ Francois Buekman‚ that morning that he would not be able to attend because he had an urgent police task team meeting.

The committee‚ which was on a week-long inspection of police stations in the province‚ had to reschedule its meeting on Friday to 7:30am instead of the usual 9am starting time to accommodate Mothiba and the acting head of the Hawks‚ Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata. The latter did make the meeting.

Mothiba was initially scheduled to brief the committee on Thursday but also could not make it because of another engagement.

So was furious was Beukman at Mothiba’s no-show on Friday that he said he would write to Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to lodge a formal complaint against the acting national police commissioner. Other members of the committee were also not pleased with Mothiba’s non-attendance. He has now he has been summoned to Parliament on August 18 to brief the committee.

“If there is not a personal interest by the acting national police commissioner into the issues of KZN‚ we’re not going to stop. So we will ask the minister of police to intervene. The committee must also discuss it in detail‚” said Beukman. “But I think it’s unacceptable. KZN has severe challenges and the acting national police commissioner at short notice suddenly goes away.”

Mothiba was also expected to address the critical shortage of police vehicles at many police stations and several other issues.

Economic Freedom Fighters MP and member of the committee Philip Mhlongo described Mothiba’s no show as a “high level or gross ill-discipline” and said he must be taken to task for his actions.

“Therefore‚ I think as we arrive in Cape Town strong measures will have to be taken so as to prove whoever might fall into the same trap that we mean business. The province is burning and it means that all responsible organs of the state must respond in the same manner‚" he said.


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