President Jacob Zuma has distanced himself from the controversy surrounding sidelined crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, saying it is not the task of the president to intervene in the allegations against the police spook.
Answering questions in the National Assembly on Tuesday, he told MPs to wait for the results of the investigations by a task team and the inspector-general of intelligence before calling for his intervention.
Zuma, who was taken to task by opposition MPs over the reinstatement of Mdluli following the dropping of fraud and murder charges against him, skirted around questions on his reinstatement, saying the day-to-day operations of line function departments was the responsibility of “those departments”.
His replies came amid increasing demands for the removal of Mdluli from the SAPS.
Mdluli was recently reinstated to his position after his suspension was lifted and fraud and corruption charges against him were dropped.
Two weeks ago, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa announced that Mdluli was to be moved to another department while a letter which he wrote to Zuma and to Mthethwa, containing allegations of a plot against him by senior policemen was investigated by a task team.
Zuma was evasive when asked by DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko whether he had been informed of “all the considerations” resulting in the decision to reinstate Mdluli, whether he had found the considerations to be rational and whether Mdluli met all the requirements for performing the duties of his post.
“The appointments, suspensions, reinstatements, transfers and all staff movements are the responsibility of those departments and not the president,” said Zuma.
“Such a question, including whether the decision was rational or not, should therefore be directed to the affected department,” he said. “The president does not manage the performance of officials in government departments.”
Pointing to the task team announced by Mthethwa and the probe by the inspector-general of intelligence, Zuma continued: “I would like to assure this House and the public that everything is being done to address the matter.”
Mazibuko responded by saying that the reinstatement of Mdluli, his subsequent shifting and, more recently, the reports that he had been given seven days to justify to the national police commissioner why he should not be suspended, pointed to a serious crisis in the country’s criminal justice system.
Political Bureau