Hon Deputy Speaker, all former members of official - and I underline "official" - nonstatutory forces that were integrated into the SANDF in 1994, namely uMkhonto weSizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army, Apla, have been considered for the awarding of military veterans medals, as announced in our budget debate this year.
The Air Force Base Bloemspruit parade on 2 August 2012 was the first of these parades. They will first cover all former members of uMkhonto weSizwe as part of the observance of the 50th anniversary of MK, and will then proceed to honour former members of Apla on an appropriate occasion, one that is relevant to the history of Apla.
Deputy Speaker, the question has been sufficiently answered. Thank you, Deputy Minister.
Deputy Speaker, I just want to make an inquiry from the Deputy Minister. I didn't notice - and if I am wrong I stand to be corrected - whether Gen Sandile Sejake was one of those former MK senior members decorated at Bloemfontein? I really want to ask you this. If not, why not?
Deputy Speaker, the member in question is indeed a bona fide member of uMmkhonto weSizwe. He was not among those who received medals at the Bloemspruit parade. The Bloemspruit parade, as I have just said, was the first in a series of parades that will still be conducted to honour military veterans. Let me just explain, if hon members can allow me the opportunity to do so. The issuing of medals at the Bloemspruit parade mainly recognised uMkhonto weSizwe's first generation; those who were involved in the sabotage campaign and, mainly, the national high command, as arrested at Rivonia, and the regional commands that were established under national command throughout the country. If hon members looked at the set of names of the people who received those medals, they would appreciate that. [Applause.]
Added to that, the other category - outside of the first generation that received medals - are those who belonged to the Luthuli Detachment, and only those identified as appropriate recipients of the Medal for Bravery, Gold, Class 1. The other categories are still going to follow.
Appointment of new head of Special Investigating Unit
223 Mrs D A Schfer (DA) asked the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development:
(1) Whether he has consulted the President on when a new head of the Special Investigating Unit will be appointed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether he will make a statement on the matter? NO2592E
Deputy Speaker, the answer is yes. I have consulted with the President, and, in due course, the head of the Special Investigating Unit, SIU, will be appointed. It is being considered as we speak and, naturally, this is an issue of national importance. So the nation will be informed about the new head.
Minister, I thank you for your answer, and I am very glad to hear that. My concern is your words "in due course".
Since Adv Mokhatla has been the acting head, she has reinstated Miseria Nyathi as the head of Business Support, contrary to the SIU's own legal advice; she has stopped a disciplinary hearing in respect of the Western Cape head of the SIU; she hardly ever holds executive committee meetings; and she is rumoured to be on the verge of suspending the corporate lawyer who was involved in the termination of Nyathi's employment last year. I am sure the Minister will say that this is also a smear campaign, but there is enough evidence to the contrary.
Will the Minister undertake to do everything in his power to speed up the appointment of a new head that will restore stability and credibility to the SIU?
Yes, I am very conscious of those issues, and I assure the hon member that the issue of the appointment is imminent. As I have already indicated, it will be communicated to the public. I am also aware of the decisions that he has taken thus far on all the issues that we have raised, and I think we will take them as they come.
Hon Deputy Speaker, when Willie Hofmeyr was removed as the head of the SIU, it was said that it was because he could not be the head of both the SIU and the Asset Forfeiture Unit, AFU. However, Adv Nomvula Mokhatla has been allowed to be the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions and also act as the SIU's head, so she has been doing exactly what Willie Hofmeyr was doing.
Hon Minister, will you please tell us the real reason why Willie Hofmeyr was removed and whether he was given a choice about which position he wanted to keep?
I think I have answered this question before. Willie Hofmeyr was never removed. What happened is that he was first employed as the National Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and, when the term of office of former Judge Heath expired, he then became the head of the SIU.
This is an issue that I have been dealing with since 2009, together with the NPA and Mr Willie Hofmeyr. So, he has been focusing on the job that he has been employed for with his concurrence. It's not that he was just removed. If there was any insinuation that he has been removed, that is not so.
On the issue of Ms Mokhatla, a series of events just conspired at the time and made us, in particular the President, appoint her. At that time, we thought it was going to be for a short duration. If you remember, the reason for her appointment was that Menzi Simelane had asked for long leave while the issue was before our courts. So, I tried to explain that issue.
As we speak, the appointment of the new head is being considered in line with the decision that those people who had been appointed as prosecutors needed to focus on their jobs. So, Ms Mokhatla will not be an exception.
Through you, Deputy Speaker, as you know well, hon Minister, this matter is part of the report of the justice portfolio committee that has been given to you.
Arising out of the reply of the hon Minister, given the ANC's stated commitment to fighting corruption in all forms, and given that the SIU forms an integral and strategic part of that fight against corruption, will the hon Minister agree that the appointment of Adv Mokhatle as the acting head while she already holds another strategic and important position is an unhealthy situation that must be corrected to provide certainty in that unit?
As I indicated in my previous response, I would not describe it as unhealthy. What I can say, however, is that it is considered not preferable for one person to hold the two important positions. It is for that reason that the appointment of a new head of the SIU is being considered by the President as we speak, in order to bring about normality in that institution.
Madam Speaker, can I just have clarity on the Minister's statement about Mr Hofmeyr. Is he saying that Mr Hofmeyr was never officially appointed as the head of the SIU in terms of the Special Investigating Unit Act, because if he was, he would not have been removed?
No, that is not what I said. I said that when he was appointed at that time - that is, before Judge Heath's term of office had expired - he was in fact appointed in terms of the Special Investigating Unit Act. So, if a different impression was created, I regret it, but he was appointed in accordance with the law of the Special Investigating Unit and Special Tribunals Act of 1996, I think.
Hon members, I have been informed that Question 219 has been withdrawn. We therefore proceed to Question 217, which has been asked by hon Molebatsi to the Minister of Police. I now call upon the hon Deputy Minister.
Hon Deputy Speaker, may we enquire what the reason was for the withdrawal of the question as printed on the Order Paper?
I don't have the reasons in front of me. Thank you very much. You can get that answer later, but I don't have it here in front of me.
Surely, Madam Deputy Speaker, you have to know why you are withdrawing a question.
Deputy Speaker, on a point of order ...
The reason I ask is that we put in a similar question, which was refused because this question was already on the Order Paper.
Hon member, I said I don't have the answer. This is why I said I have been informed, which means the question might have been withdrawn after consultation between the Speaker and the Table, and I am sitting here now with no answer to your question. I will ask after this session and you will get the answer then. At the moment, I am calling on the Deputy Minister to answer this question.
Recruitment of suitable people into SA Police Service
217 Ms M A Molebatsi (ANC) asked the Minister of Police:
What measures have been put in place to recruit suitable people into the SA Police Service? NO2585E
Deputy Speaker, a multidisciplinary recruitment strategy was developed and implemented with the aim to enable the SA Police Service, as an employer, to recruit and retain sufficient employees with appropriate competencies by means of specially designed systems of recruitment and selection while simultaneously ensuring the standardisation of the recruitment process, selection and enlistment of entry-level police trainees at all organisational levels within the SA Police; to ensure the timeous appointment of the most suitable candidates through a targeted recruitment approach, which is a community-based approach to recruitment, selection and enlistment; to eliminate risk with regard to corruption, nepotism, discrimination and injuries during recruitment and selection processes; and to ensure that the broader pool of candidates are reached through various recruitment techniques, such as radio, social networks, newspapers, community meetings, career exhibitions, distribution of recruitment brochures, further education and training, FET, colleges, open days at the SAPS Academy, visits to tertiary institutions, etc.
With the new approach adopted by the SAPS with regard to community-based recruitment, community-based organisations such as the community police forums, schools and churches will also be engaged during the communication phase to attract applicants from local communities. Maybe we should also consider using the parliamentary constituency offices for those who might not have access to the above-mentioned institutions.
Mmusakgotla, ke a leboga gape le mme Motlatsatona MmeMakhotso. Ke tsweletse ka go botsa potso ya ka gape ke re: [Thank you, Speaker and Deputy Minister Makhotso. I should like to ask a further question, as follows:]
Will the Deputy Minister consider that during the basic training process further evaluation of the suitability of student constables should take place - for example, aptitude and psychological tests - and that those could serve as a further sifting process in the recruitment of police officers?
Deputy Speaker and hon Molebatsi, yes, we do have wellness programmes in our training facilities. To mention a few, we have psychological assessment tests, we have social workers in place to deal with social problems, and spiritual services are also available at our training facilities in order for us to have fit members of the SAPS.
Deputy Speaker and Deputy Minister, in your recruitment intake there are people who are not supposed to be police officers. Is there any problem or challenge with vetting these people when they enter the Security cluster?
Enkosi Sekela Somlomo, Bab'uNdlovu yiyo lo nto siye sayitshintsha inkqubo esenza ngayo. [Thank you, Deputy Speaker, and Mr Ndlovu. That is the reason we decided to change our strategy.]
You know, previously, when we recruited for the police, we said driver's licence and Standard 10, and that was all. If you were fit, you could join the police. However, we changed that strategy. You are aware that we changed the strategy two to three years ago and placed emphasis on community involvement because ...
...sayisoyika ukuba ... [... we were afraid that ...]
... if you came to us and applied to become a police officer, we only looked at your fitness, your Standard 10 certificate and driver's licence, only to discover that you were already in the system - ukuthi siphethe isigwinta apha [that we have a crook here] - because we didn't know where this person came from. Hence, we are saying that the communities must play a key role because this child is from a community. Therefore, churches, communities and everybody should be part of recruitment, so that we recruit the right people into our system.
Deputy Speaker, we were informed in the Portfolio Committee on Police that the SAPS has been instructed by Treasury to lose 9 000 members through natural attrition. So, are the few positions that would be allowed annually by the Treasury to be filled going to be specifically head-hunted specialists to deal with, for example, the implementation of the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill, should that Bill ever come before the Portfolio Committee on Police? I think we have been waiting for years now. We need specialist scientists, for example, as they are leaving our laboratories. If we are not allowed to head-hunt specialist scientists, what are we going to do? By "suitable" I am hoping that the hon Molebatsi meant "qualified".
Deputy Speaker, I am very sorry to say to the hon member that I don't know what she is talking about when she refers to the 9 000 members. All I know is that we, as the SAPS, are busy head- hunting and recruiting people with special skills for our forensic laboratories. That is all we know. We don't know about 9 000 that are supposed to be cut.
Deputy Speaker, my question is on Question 209.
Then you pressed early.
Deputy Speaker, still on the Police, I am asking a follow- up question. Deputy Minister ...
Mofumahadi Makhotso Sotyu, a ke o theole moya. Ekare o kgenne. Ke ne ke batla ho botsa hore haele mona o tla kenyelletsa setjhaba ho thaotha bana ba tlang ho kena Sepoleseng. Ekaba o na le leano la hore le kamoso, o tla sebedisa setjhaba nakong eo ho etswang tekolo ho lekola hore na ebe mapolesa ana a sebetsa hantle setjhabeng? Ho etsahalang ha jwale ke hore ba kenyelletswa nakong eo bana ba hirwang empa ha ho etswa tekolo, ha ho tekolo ya hore lepolesa lena leo e leng sekweta le sebetsa jwang kapa o tla nyoloha a fumane bohato bo bong sepoleseng. Ekaba ntlha eo e ile ya shejwa?
MOTLATSA-LETONA LA SEPOLESA: Ke a leboha, ntate Ramatlakane. Ke lebohela tlhahiso e jwalo hobane ke seo re se thabelang hore ha bana bana ba se ba sebetsa diteisheneng, e be setjhaba sa moo ke sona se re bolellang hore tjhee, ngwana enwa ha a etse tsona hobane rona re ke ke ra ba hohle. Ke kahoo re kgothaletsang hore le dikarolo tsa rona tsa tshebetso, di kenyeletse batho ba setjhaba hore ha bana bana ba senya, re tsebe rona re le baetapele ba bona. Ke a leboha ntate. [Mahofi.] (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[Mrs Makhotso Sotyu, please calm down. It seems like you are upset. Seeing that you will involve the community in the recruitment of new police officers, do you maybe have a strategy that will be put into place so that, even in future, the community can be involved in assessing if these police officers carry out their duties properly? Currently, what is happening is that community involvement takes place during the appointment process, but during assessment this police officer, who is a criminal, is not assessed on how he/she performs or whether he/she will be promoted. Have you ever looked into this matter?
Thank you, Mr Ramatlakane. I appreciate that suggestion because we do appreciate the fact that once these young officers are deployed to police stations, the community members should be the ones who inform us that a police officer does not perform as expected, because we cannot be in all the places. That is why we even encourage our forums to include community members so that if these young officers are involved in criminal activities we, as their leaders, should be made aware. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Thank you, hon Deputy Minister. I think I must respond to the Chief Whip of the Opposition, the hon Watson, since we are dealing with the last question. I am informed that the question was withdrawn by the member who put the question, who has the right to withdraw it. So, the question was withdrawn by the member.
Termination by SAPS of contract with private security companies
222. Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) asked the Minister of Police: (1) Why did the SA Police Service (SAPS) terminate the contract with private security companies;
(2) whether any (a) SAPS members and (b) reservists are tasked to take on the responsibility of guarding police stations; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how many (i) SAPS members and (ii) reservists are now performing guard duties?