Cape Town - With the Khayelitsha commission of inquiry due to hand over its 500-page report to Premier Helen Zille next week, the ANC is seeing red after it was revealed the probe into police inefficiency has already cost more than R13 million.
The commission, which sat earlier this year, was established by Zille two years ago to investigate complaints about police inefficiency at three police stations in Khayelitsha and the breakdown in relations between the community and the police.
Responding to questions by ANC MPL Pat Lekker in the provincial legislature, Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said the total contributions to the commission was R13 278 875.
“The 2012/13 financial year the budget was R3 927 859; for the 2013/ 14 financial year, R6 495 183; for the 2014/15 financial year the budget was R2 855 833. Total spend: R13 278 875,” Plato said.
According to Plato the funding was channelled toward:
* Payment of legal costs incurred due to the challenge of the national minister of police into the constitutionality of the commission, the cost of which will now be partially recovered from the police as per the ruling of the high court.
* Payment of cost incurred by the commission for payment of the services of the commissioners, the evidence leaders and the secretariat.
* Payment of costs for logistical arrangements during the public hearings and administrative costs in general.
ANC provincial leader Marius Fransman said the ANC would be going through the commission’s findings with a fine-tooth comb.
“What we will be looking for, is if the results will bring about a reduction in crime in Khayelitsha,” he said.
“We’ve said before what is required in Khayelitsha among others are better street lighting, the alleviation of densely populated formal and informal areas in Khayelitsha, as well as bigger budgets being allocated for proper services.”
Fransman said that at a cost of more than R13m he hoped the commission’s findings would not just be a repeat of what crime experts, academics and police had already said over time about social economic realities in Khayelitsha.
“It is a shame that we’ve spent R13m plus on only a commission. We’ve made it clear from the start that a commission will not resolve crime in Khayelitsha.
“What is needed is co-operative action and interventions, not the grandstanding that we’ve seen under Zille.”
The commission confirmed that its final report would be released on Monday.
“The report will be handed over to the premier at an event on August 25, at Lookout Hill,” commission secretary Amanda Dissel said.
She said the report was expected to be about 500 pages long.
Cape Argus