This comes after the appointment of Lieut-Gen Buthuel Zuma as Gauteng provincial commissioner, who is facing criminal charges, for drunk driving from 2008 and not stopping at a roadblock.
Barnard states that this shows that Piyega is totally out of her depth, and is taking the SAPS down with her.
On Saturday, Phiyega revealed a restructured SAPS, which included the appointment of Zuma as Gauteng provincial commissioner.
However, after being informed by the DA that Zuma was facing various charges, Piyega withdrew his appointment a few hours later, claiming she had been unaware of this fact.
“Firstly, she claimed that SAPS background checks are more stringent than most organisations. This is clearly not the case if a simple Google search revealed Zuma’s charges within minutes, while SAPS processes failed to do so. It raises the question as to whether a proper background check was even conducted,” she says.
“Secondly, she has now backtracked even further on his appointment by saying that these appointments were ‘provisional’. If this were the case, then why make the announcement in the first place? These two factors make us question the suitability of various other senior appointments made on Saturday.
“SAPS has suffered from disastrous national police commissioners for years now, and Phiyega is a cadre too far.
“We need a career police officer at the helm, and it is President Zuma’s responsibility to ensure that this happens.
The DA will be writing to President Zuma this week to request that he institute a board of inquiry into Riah Phiyega’s fitness for office and capacity to perform her official duties.”
