Public Protector to probe Dlamini-Zuma's VIP protection

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s abuse of VIP Presidential Protection as a private citizen is to be investigated by the office of the Public Protector.

DA spokesman on police matters Zakhele Mbhele said on Sunday that this had been confirmed to the party by the Public Protector’s office.

This follows the DA’s complaint lodged with the Public Protector’s office on April 18.

“It was recently confirmed to Parliament by the then Acting National Police Commissioner General Phahlane‚ that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma continued to be protected by the VIP Presidential Protection unit while she travels around South Africa for ANC campaigning.

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“It has now been almost two months since the Dlamini-Zuma VIP scandal came to light and there are no indications that Police Minister‚ Fikile Mbalula‚ has yet put a stop to it. He is allowing an obscene bill to run up and South Africans know that it is the struggling taxpayer who is going to pay for it‚” Mbhele said.

He added that Dlamini-Zuma was a clear candidate in the ANC leadership succession race‚ and that her use of VIP Presidential Protection as she campaigned was clearly another ANC abuse of public money.

“NDZ [Dlamini-Zuma] simply cannot be given preferential VIP protection for ANC party business at the expense of the public purse.

“There are critical policing resource problems around the country which need to be focused on. Some of these problems include building more police stations and satellite police stations‚ capitating Family and Child Services (FCS) units and reducing the backlog at forensic labs with more equipment and personnel‚” Mbhele said.

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“The NDZ VIP scandal shows that the ANC chooses to protect their own leaders instead of protecting the citizens they are supposed to serve from the criminal threats on our streets and in their homes every day.

“The DA looks forward to a thorough and swift Public Protector investigation‚” Mbhele added.