As seven cops lined up in the Durban Magistrate’s Court accused of trying to extort R100,000 from a Phoenix businessman, issues around corruption in the South African Police Services (SAPS) reared its ugly head.
The cops, mainly from the Johannesburg Flying Squad, are accused of accosting a businessman at his premises, confiscating cigarettes and his firearms.
They are further accused of then driving the businessman to Phoenix SAPS and asking him to pay R100,000 in order to be released.
They accused him of selling counterfeit goods.
The policemen were released on R7,000 bail.
During the release of the fourth quarter crimes statistics the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) highlighted cases where SAPS members were jailed for lengthy periods.
In the first case, Hawks boss Godfrey Lebeya said a KZN cop was jailed to 12 years for corruption. Warrant Officer Claude Ince, 51, was investigating a case of fraud when he demanded a gratification of R5,000 in order to destroy the evidence against the accused.
In another incident, Ince was found guilty of demanding a R3,000 gratification in order to drop charges against someone accused of shoplifting. He was found guilty in May 2023 and jailed in March 2024.
Last month the National Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said:“Let me be unequivocally clear: corruption within our police service will not be tolerated.”
He was reacting to the news of four police officers who were arrested following allegations that they robbed a Joburg resident of R180,000.
“The actions of these individuals are a betrayal of the public's trust and a violation of the very principles that the SAPS stands for — honour, integrity, and service,” Mchunu said.
“The worst thing is that these are members of the Crime Intelligence unit. We condemn their criminal activity in the strongest terms they deserve.”
Mchunu further assured the South African public that they would continue to root out corruption wherever it may exist within the ranks.
“We remain committed to building a police service that is trusted by the people it serves, and we will not rest until justice is served.”
Experts weigh in
Violence monitor Mary de Haas said corruption in policing has been inched for years.
“I wrote to national commissioner three weeks ago and asked him to take action against documented cases in Free State.”
So how does one deal with this high level corruption?
“Firstly implement national development plan policy and establish an independent police oversight board to oversee appointments and promotions.
“We immediately need a Human Resources audit of management starting with Human Resources department and legal departments which are extremely problematic and an audit of qualifications.”
Ian Cameron, the chairperson of parliament's police portfolio committee, said one thing that bothers him is the disciplinary structure or process of the SAPS aren’t functioning the way they should.
“A very simple example is the VIP protection guys accused of assaulting civilians on the N1.
“It’s over a year and they are still in the service of SAPS. They still haven’t completed the disciplinary process and when questioned SAPS just answers and says no it has to follow due process, now obviously we know that.
“But the point is something that serious does not just get postponed, its get sorted out.
“They have the necessary remedies to fire them. They have those procedures in place it’s just that they don’t use them.
He said there were major questions starting from a discipline point of view.
“I think I must commend them on the one side that we are seeing an increase in action especially over the last two months against corrupt officers.
“We are also seeing an increase in arrests as well. My big questions is what about the senior ones.
“There is no way the amount of corruption simply just happened by chance because ground level members deciding to become corrupt.
“Somewhere somehow there are senior officers involved.”
Cameron made reference to the sacking of Western Cape Crime Intelligence head Major-General Mzwandile Tiyo.
“It clearly indicates to you that there are questionable characters in very senior ranks with SAPS and that needs to be cleaned up.”
Cameron said a skills audit needed to be done urgently in SAPS.
He said another pertinent point was the fast-tracking of corruption cases.
“These prosecutions for criminal and corrupt cops must be fast-tracked and an example must be made.
“Its something the NPA and Department of Justice and SAPS must do to fast track these things.
“The lack of inaction to fast track these kinds of things, leads to me question the integrity of some people.”
Cameron said another thing about corrupt cops is that communities have always known who the corrupt cops are, its the same drug houses.
He said extortion has become a massive crisis in the country.
Cameron said they would be meeting with management of SAPS to ask them what measures they have in place to deal with the extortion fight.
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