Mixed reactions to acting police minister
Police unions have given mixed reactions to the new head of the police ministry.
Former Wits law professor Firoz Cachalia is spending his first weekend as Acting Police Minister after being sworn in on Friday.
He steps in after President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Senzo Mchunu on special leave over allegations of political interference in police investigations.
The South African Policing Union's Lesiba Thobakgale says it’s the first time someone from an academic background fills the role.
" We are expecting him to root out corruption both in SAPS, in the whole law enforcement and even outside in order to make sure that we become a zero-rated corruption country, and we don't expect him to belong to any faction when it comes to the leadership of police in this regard. Rather, he unites at the management of the police in this regard."
But POPCRU’s Thulani Ngwenya says the public shouldn’t get too excited until the new minister proves he’s committed to rooting out corruption in the police ranks.
" For us to have expectations until we understand what he intends to do in this, and also, we raise our own issues to him. We'll be putting him under the bus until we meet the minister, and we raise those issues with him. What is his strategic direction going forward?
"We'll never just say we are happy, and we welcome him. It’s a song we have been singing for 30 years: welcoming people happy and at the end of the day they don’t deliver anything for us.”
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