Phiyega's letter

Dear colleagues,

 

As an organisation, we all know about the huge challenges facing us.

 

There is a very clear plan which has been put on the table to change the South African Police Service into a professional outfit with committed members who serve the country as outlined in our Code of Conduct.

 

With which each day that goes by, I see the South African Police Service taking steps forward. It is an uphill battle and the steps are tiny, but they are steps forward nonetheless. These baby steps encourage me and I trust that they have the same effect on you.

 

Having said that, I feel that it is time for those amongst us who are keen to see the SAPS move forward and achieve the set objectives, to stand up, raise their voices against those who want to drag us backwards.

 

I am saying this because it has now emerged that a case of  defeating the ends of justice has been opened against me somewhere in the Western Cape.

 

Whilst I have not been formally informed of a case, I am aware that the accusation is that I alerted a certain Provincial Commissioner about an investigation Crime Intelligence was conducting against him.

 

Crime Intelligence alleges that the Provincial Commissioner had received a bribe. You will be reading and hearing a lot about this in the media over the next couple of days.

 

Although I do not expect my colleagues to behave in such an underhanded manner whereby they concoct a story and then open a case against me, it however comes as no surprise given some of the mischievous activities conducted by Crime Intelligence in the past.

 

It is clear to me that this is a lame attempt by certain individuals within Crime Intelligence to discredit me and derail the process of flushing out those within the SAPS who have no integrity and have no interest in taking SAPS forward.

 

It is interesting that this matter surfaces through some faceless people shortly after my decision to put the former Acting Divisional Commissioner on special leave to allow for criminal and disciplinary investigations to be conducted.

 

I have a message for these individuals who are trying to make us lose focus: "You can try as much as you like but you will not succeed. No mud thrown at me will stick.

 

I remain determined to ensure that nothing, absolutely nothing, deters me and my leadership team from the new journey of rebuilding SAPS, especially the Crime Intelligence Division."

 

Our information is that this matter has been handed to IPID for investigation. I will await IPID to contact me should they intend to continue with the matter.

 

The facts about this matter are as follows:

 

A parliamentary question was received from the DA as to whether there was an investigation into a bribery matter against a certain Provincial Commissioner.

 

In the normal process of gathering information to enable the Department to prepare a response on the Minister's behalf, the DA enquiry ended up in the Provincial commissioner' s office after passing through various officials.

 

It was at that point that the Provincial Commissioner called me to enquire about the investigation. It therefore cannot be argued that the I have alerted the Provincial Commissioner about the investigation. Simply put, I committed no crime. 

 

The National Commissioner

General Riah Phiyega