Dismissals show SAPS is rooting out rot

Provincial Head of corporate communication Brigadier Neville Malila at his office in Johannesburg. Picture:Paballo Thekiso

Provincial Head of corporate communication Brigadier Neville Malila at his office in Johannesburg. Picture:Paballo Thekiso

Published Jul 8, 2014

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Johannesburg - Seventy police officers have been dismissed in the past six months for corruption, attempted murder, armed robbery, defeating the ends of justice, assault and several other charges.

Gauteng provincial spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila said the officers from various police stations and units had been dismissed after internal disciplinary processes found them guilty of misconduct.

“This is an indication that the SAPS is serious about getting rid of rotten police officials,” he said.

“We also don’t wait until the criminal cases are concluded in court. Many of those that have been dismissed are facing criminal charges and are still appearing in various courts.”

Commenting on the recent dismissals of the 70 cops, DA spokeswoman on police Dianne Kohler Barnard said: “Why are we not being careful about who gets into the police service? It does seem to me that there is a steep increase in police criminality.”

She said this was the first thing national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega should look at.

“We must get rid of corrupt cops or those who are involved in criminal activities,” she said.

Two officers, Captain Reginald Zulu, the former head of Langlaagte police station, and Detective Sergeant Elvis Magamba, also from Langlaagte, were dismissed after being found guilty of misconduct.

They allegedly targeted foreign-owned businesses.

Chinese, Somali and Pakistani businesses were allegedly robbed of large amounts of cash.

The other two, constables Mafomo Noone and Matimba Baloyi, of the Joburg Central Tactical Response Team, are facing disciplinary action.

Their hearing is scheduled for next week Wednesday.

In April, the head of the firearms registry in Pretoria was fired for corruption for allegedly accepting bribes to fast-track firearm licences.

Brigadier Mathapelo Miriam Mangwani was dismissed after undergoing a disciplinary process. She was found guilty on two counts of corruption and dismissed and is still facing a criminal investigation.

The Star ran the story last year after speaking to a State witness who alleged that, on the instructions of her employer, Dave Sheer Guns, she had bribed police officers to fast-track licence applications.

Police and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan were involved in the probe.

The woman said in affidavits that she had paid Mangwani R5 000 and R10 000 in cash twice a month for four years. She said she met the officer at shopping malls and petrol stations, where she allegedly gave her the cash.

Last week, eight policemen from Daveyton police station, accused of dragging Mido Macia behind a police van in February last year, were fired.

The Star

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