‘Hunt for Juju’ post sparks controversy

Published Feb 16, 2015

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Cape Town - A storm is brewing around a Cape Town police officer who was among the phalanx of “white shirts” who forcefully evicted EFF members during the State of the Nation Address, after it emerged he had posted on social media that he was “on the hunt for Juju”.

Captain Walter Prins, 42, who was dressed in a black Hugo Boss jacket and white shirt, was identified from the security pass around his neck, seen in a photo taken by the European Pressphoto Agency.

On his accreditation, W W Prins is listed as part of a “high-risk” detail and from the police.

He was pictured arriving for the opening of Parliament ceremony on Thursday and then later helping to evict EFF MPs from the House.

Over the weekend, the Daily Maverick reported that Prins had been on a Malema “hunt” rampage since last year.

In September, Prins posted three photographs of public order police on his Facebook profile. In the photos the policemen are in riot gear in the foyer of the National Assembly.

The caption read: “In the once hallowed halls of Parliament, in a hunt for Juju.”

A month earlier, nine days after public order policemen were deployed to Parliament for the first time, Prins had taken to social media.

He wrote: “To all members of POPS Cape Town I wish you strength and thank you for a helluva month. Particularly the guys in my platoon… PS. Don’t worry, at some stage in the near future we’ll go back into Parliament for old Julius! LOL.”

On his Facebook page on Friday, he posted a YouTube video showing the “white shirts” evicting the EFF members.

DA MPs who questioned Speaker Baleka Mbete on Thursday over the unit before walking out, said they were opposed to the use of police because they report to the executive arm of government and should therefore not interfere with the functioning of Parliament.

Chaos erupted at the State of the Nation Address when EFF MPs interrupted President Jacob Zuma’s speech. The MPs asked the president when he planned to “pay back the money” used to upgrade his Nkandla homestead.

Mbete asked the EFF MPs, including Malema, to take their seats. When they refused, she asked them to leave the House.

When they still refused, the “white shirts” moved in to remove Malema and other EFF MPs from the National Assembly.

EFF MP Reneilwe Mashabela left the House with a swollen and bleeding face.

DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane said the DA had its suspicions that there were police officers involved.

“We already suspected it and we heard that two nights before they (police officers) had a rehearsal. This is a violation of the constitution, and the Speaker Baleka Mbete has to account for who enters Parliament.

“Having a police presence there intimidates opposition parties and prevents public participation.”

Western Cape Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said he had asked national police commissioner Riah Phiyega and Western Cape provincial commissioner Arno Lamoer to clarify the police’s actions.

“It is critical that SAPS is not used as muscle for hire against opposing voices or for party-political gain. The validity of these claims needs to be confirmed and, if true, needs to be explained, particularly, on whose instruction they had gathered outside the chamber, why such extreme measures were adopted, and why such an excessive use of force was chosen.”

Plato said he had been told that heavily armed police officers were seen readying themselves before proceedings began.

While he understood the State of the Nation Address required increased security to protect the president, the executive, the judiciary, MPs and foreign dignitaries, the police were out of their jurisdiction.

National police spokesman Solomon Makgale declined to comment on the matter and referred all questions to Parliament.

Parliament spokesman Luzuko Jacobs said they would be answering all questions at a press conference on Tuesday.

ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said: “This is a Parliamentary issue, the ANC won’t comment.”

Prins, on the other hand, said he could not confirm anything.

He told the Daily Maverick: “I can’t admit or deny anything… we signed an oath of ‘secrecy’. I can’t tell you anything.”

On Friday, the ANC gave its approval to Mbete’s forceful ejection of the EFF from the National Assembly and called for Parliament to punish the left-wing party’s MPs.

Malema told a media briefing on Friday that EFF MPs were “assaulted”.

The DA said Mbete should be held to account for calling in the security forces.

Prins’s Facebook posts did not go unnoticed, as Twitter lashed out at the officer.

Tweeters accused the police captain of being “obsessed” with Malema.

Lucky Mfowethu tweeted: “Is Captain Walter Prins the one who was obsessed with Juju’s balls during the alleged rehearsed EFF ejection from Parliament?”

Ludo Gideon wrote: “The report on @News24 states it clearly that Captain Walter Prins is obsessed with @Julius_S_Malema and he even posts that on his Facebook.”

Cape Argus

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