Johannesburg - As a cloud of uncertainty hangs over National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega’s future, and speculation continues about her replacement – should she be suspended, redeployed or fired – there are greater concerns that replacing her could be a more difficult process than anticipated.
The biggest challenge is that most of the generals who attended the “secret Marikana meeting” would either be implicated or called as witnesses during the inquiry into Phiyega’s fitness to hold office, and could therefore not be in a position to replace her.
Both the South African Policing Union (Sapu) and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) were asked to name their preferred candidate to replace Phiyega, and both expressed a preference for a career police officer to a civilian, but refused to give specific names.
Here is a short analysis of the favourite candidates:
DEPUTY NATIONAL COMMISSIONERS
* Current deputy national police commissioner for policing operations, Lieutenant-General Khehla John Sithole
Sithole, who joined the SAPS in 1986, was appointed as the deputy commissioner for policing operations by Phiyega in 2013. He’s completed advanced management development and advanced financial management programmes. He has vast police experience in the operational environment and has held senior positions, including Free State provincial commissioner. He has great ambitions, although his strategies have failed to bring crime down.
* Current deputy national commissioner for corporate services management, Lieutenant-General Christabel Nobubele Mbekela
Mbekela has a BSc (Hons) and a Master of Education degree. She joined the police training division as a director of education, training and development systems, quality management and skills development. As a major-general, she headed the skills development unit of the SAPS. She joined the public service as an assistant teacher before becoming head of the Department of Sciences. She was a lecturer and chief examinations officer at the College of Education and then subject adviser for the Department of Education.
Mbekela is more of an academic and has little operational policing experience. Her public support for Phiyega also counts against her.
* Current deputy national commissioner for resource management, Lieutenant-General Stefan Schutte
This former chief financial officer of the SAPS was recruited from the National Treasury by former national commissioner Jackie Selebi. He was appointed by Phiyega in 2013 to his current position. Good at figures and responsible for clean audits of the SAPS, he isn’t considered to be good material for the position.
DIVISIONAL COMMISSIONERS
* Current divisional commissioner of the operational response services division, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela
Mawela, a career police officer has worked his way up through the ranks, serving firstly at various police stations in Gauteng, both as a detective commander and as station commander, and then as deputy area commissioner of Pretoria until 2004. In 2004 he was appointed the head of the Ports of Entry component of the Protection and Security Services division, where he developed a new policing and security model which is currently implemented at all ports of entry.
He has a National Diploma in Police Administration and is currently studying for a BA in Public Administration. He has all the credentials to become national commissioner, but his attendance of the Marikana “secret meeting” could stand in his way because he could be called as a witness.
* Current divisional commissioner for supply chain management, Lieutenant-General Gary Kruser
Kruser holds a bachelor’s degree in policing practice, a diploma in advanced security management from the Damelin School of Management and has an N4 qualification in engineering and communication. He joined the SAPS in 1994 and managed the amalgamation of all the former agencies responsible for VIP protection and established the integrated presidential protection units. From November 2003 until June 2010 he headed the SAPS training division and focused on institutionalising human rights and transforming training within the service. He is now an education, training and development practitioner and chairs the board of the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority.
He has played a pivotal role in providing development assistance to neighbouring countries in the Southern African Development Community. Kruser is loved, respected and admired by many of his colleagues across the colour line and seems to be the favourite.
PROVINCIAL POLICE COMMISSIONERS
While some of the provincial commissioners have the credentials to become national commissioner, their recent unconditional support for Phiyega and pending investigations against them rule them out. The parliamentary inquiry, which is to be launched to ascertain whether national and provincial police management lied to them, has also become a hurdle for those generals who had ambitions to occupy the hot seat.
The Sunday Independent