Johannesburg - The police are set to use lessons from the tragic events of Marikana as a foundation for future operations.
On Sunday, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko announced the appointment of a panel of experts to assist the SAPS in implementing the recommendations of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry.
This comes after the commission recommended that a panel be established following the massacre of 44 people at Lonmin’s platinum mine in 2012. Members of the independent body were appointed by the minister after the Farlam Commission of Inquiry submitted its recommendations to the government last year.
At a media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday, Nhleko said: “What the panel of experts would begin to look at is the question of reviewing public order policing and looking at alternative methods regarding issues of crowd control and management, managing incidents of public protests, revise and amend standing procedures and orders, and investigate the adequacy of public order policing methods.”
The experts who have been provisionally selected include Themba Masuku from the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Adele Kirsten of Gun Free SA, Gareth Newham from the Institute for Security Studies, David Bruce who was an expert witness at the hearings, Dr Elizabeth Grobbler who is an independent expert, Eldred de Klerk of the Africa Centre for Security and Intelligence Practice, and Cees de Rover - an international law-enforcement expert.
The panel of experts will also comprise international organisations and police experts from Russia, China, Brazil, and Italy. “One of the recommendations from the Marikana Commission of Inquiry was that we needed to tap into international best practice of public order policing and therefore, we needed to look at countries that were similar to our experience with public protests.
“In this regard we have pulled in representative from those countries,” he said.
During the briefing, Nhleko prevented Hawks head Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza from responding to questions relating to KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Johan Booysen.
“I have just asked General Ntlemeza not to respond to those questions precisely because what we should be able to respect around legal issues is to observe the processes that are unfolding.
“The issue pertaining to General Booysen is a matter before our courts,” Nhleko said.
“The question of the issues like the ones you are raising are to be contested, both technically and legally, at that particular level (court).
The other thing I want to say is that we should also be careful how we express ourselves around legal issues, be it judgments and anything els. If there are allegations, there are allegations, and you can’t say if somebody is facing allegations then it translates to guiltiness.
“Surely, General Booysen is not guilty of any particular offence as we speak. He is facing allegations that have to be subjected to a process,” Nhleko said.
Ntlemeza had been asked to explain why he was persisting in petitioning the Supreme Court of Appeal after the Hawks failed in its appeal last week against a high court decision overturning Booysen’s suspension.
Ntlemeza, who was sitting next to Nhleko at the briefing, ended up not saying anything.
The briefing was also used to update the media on the festive season operation adopted by the police in which 20 000 officers were deployed to combat serious and violent crimes.
Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Kgomotso Phahlane said more than 9 000 suspects were arrested for aggravated robberies nationally. Over 110 000 suspects were arrested for illegal possession of firearms, liquor and second hand goods, more than 6 000 were arrested for the abuse of women and children, while 3 500 wanted suspects were arrested.
The Star