Public ‘betrayed’ by Saps, says specialist

With several former South African Police Service (Saps) officials facing fraud and corruption charges, the greed of officers who earned millions annually in salary and benefits reflects systemic, institutional and public leadership failure in the institution of the police, according to senior policing and social conflict specialist Eldred de Klerk.

Recently, the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit restrained the assets of former Saps officers following the infamous R191 million “blue lights” criminal case.

The case, which involved former high-ranking Saps officials Khomotso Phahlane and Deliwe de Lange, related to a contract corruptly awarded by Saps to a service provider – Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement – for the supply and fitment of blue lights and sirens to Gauteng police vehicles in 2017.

It was understood the accused worked to ensure the Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement was awarded the “blue lights” contract and paid approximately R65 million.

The amount escalated to present-day estimates of R121 million. De Klerk said it was not enough to say the officers undermined and ignored existing prescripts as it also showed an enabled institutional culture and structure seemingly devoid of adequate controls.

According to De Klerk, corruption, complicity and flaunting of institutional regulations and prescripts were routine within Saps and other state entities.

“It was not that their pay packet was too little,” he said.

“This undermined confidence and trust in the police and erodes working conditions of members who signed up and looked to serve. “There is a failure to provide leadership and a failure to support the members of the Saps. It rendered the state vulnerable to being undermined.”

De Klerk said the fight against crime and corruption was compromised and there was no strategic and operational leadership. “As a compromised institution, it is not able to fulfil its constitutional duty.

It showed a betrayal of public trust by both the leadership and its members,” he said. “We were focused on corruption as if it is devoid of an institutional culture but a structural and systemic context allowed corruption and enabled it, which was what needed to be corrected.”

De Klerk added that the recommendations of the National Development Plan 2030 and other reports needed to be implemented and to subject all senior managers to lifestyle, competency and integrity audits before moving on to middle and junior leadership.

The NPA’s Investigating Directorate spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, said the assets included at least 19 immovable properties linked to the accused as well as 115 vehicles, including three trucks.

“The sole director of Traffic Law Enforcement (Pty) Ltd is Vimpie Phineas Tlalefang Manthata. Manthata and his entity are accused along with several high-ranking officials who were employed by Saps at the time.

“The Saps officials were mostly rewarded with cash payments. The reward was in the form of the purchase of luxury cars and expensive clothing and accessories paid for by Manthata,” she said.

Criminologist Guy Lamb said the direct impact of police corruption in the fight against crime and corruption was that the police lost direct legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

“Reduction in the trust in police affects crime service as some members of the public will not share information with the police or report crime,” he said Police graft at senior level tended to enable corruption at middle and lower levels, increasing certain types of organised crime.

ALSO READ: PICS: Assets worth R75 million seized from former top cop in ‘blue lights’ corruption case