The Western Cape’s Police Ombudsman, Major General (Retired) Oswald Reddy handed over his final report into alleged links between gangsters and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape, on Friday.
It came after Premier Alan Winde requested the
Ombud to launch the probe following a damning Western Cape High Court judgment,
which stated that there is evidence that gang members have infiltrated the top
management structures of the SAPS in the Western Cape, and are accessing key
documents and strategies on crime fighting.
“We have to act within our limited mandate on
this issue to confirm what many residents of the Western Cape have long
suspected: that some SAPS members are colluding with gangsters, effectively
abandoning their oath to protect and serve, instead choosing to make many of
our gang-stricken communities even more unsafe,” the Premier said after
receiving the final report.
As part of the investigation, Maj. Gen. Reddy
gave Western Cape SAPS management an opportunity to respond to the judgment.
The Ombud also consulted with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate
(IPID).
Winde says he is perusing the Ombud’s report.
According to the premier, the allegations are likely substantiated.
“There must be decisive consequences for those
found to be colluding with gangs. This includes senior officials under whose
watch this has been allowed to happen. One of the first steps that I took this
week on this matter is that I met with the SAPS provincial Commissioner Lt Gen
(Adv) Thembisile Patekile to discuss the findings of the report. I will be
holding further engagements on the Ombud’s report and will share this with the
public as soon as I am in a position to do so. What is clear is that this
infiltration likely extends far beyond this particular case, and also that
dangerous forces are at play here. We must be decisive and considered in our
next steps to address this issue, making sure we can break these links, and
make headway against gangsterism.”
Done By: Mitchum George
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