Zwelibanzi Velaphi Nyanda was appointed despite not having any experience in metro policing and without first complying with Section 64 of the South African Police Services Act of 1995.
This Act states that the chief of police must be a member of the municipal police service as provided for in Regulation 11 of the municipal police regulations (1999) which states inter alia “…(a) is registered as a traffic officer in terms of the Road Traffic Act 1989 … has successfully completed the training determined by the National Commissioner.”
Nyanda was appointed despite not having complied with the Act and regulations. Nyanda’s appointment coincides with significant operational problems within the Department of Safety in the city of Johannesburg, which, the Department has, since its restructuring, been without a head. These problems include the failure to successfully roll out the Metro 10 Plus Programme and to implement an efficient by-law management unit and municipal court.
A solution has also not been found to the five-year empasse relating to the conclusion of an agreement between the Road Traffic Management corporation and city of Johannesburg in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Aarto Act. Another problem was to implement the city safety strategy and, lastly, the failure by officials to submit monthly departmental reports timeously – or even at all.
From my experience, as member of the Johannesburg section 79 safety committee for over 10 years, every new chief appointment has a debilitating and counter-productive effect due to a lengthy induction process.
Should someone with the required credentials be appointed, this would be a challenge enough in the current circumstances. To appoint an individual as chief with no experience, and who has not yet achieved the entry level requirement, appears to be a decision based soley on patronage rather than capability.
The actions and performance of the new chief will be very carefully monitored.
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