Ipid has lodged a second case against Khehla Sitole on 28 January 2022, for failing to comply with Section 4, subsection 2 of the Ipid Act. The complaint is in relation to Sitole’s alleged lack of co-operation into an Ipid investigation into the assassination of the Anti-Gang Unit’s Lieutenant-Colonel, Charl Kinnear. Section 4 of the Ipid Act states that “each organ of state must assist the directorate to maintain its impartiality and to perform its functions effectively”.
“Sitole has now been criminally charged twice by Ipid for not cooperating in the Charl Kinnear murder investigation. It is clear that Khehla Sitole ̶ another ANC cadre deployment ̶ is not supporting the SAPS members fighting crime on the ground and he is most definitely not aspiring to safeguard South African citizens. President Cyril Ramaphosa is failing the nation by keeping Khehla Sitole employed and even more so, not having him arrested and charged,” commented Ian Cameron from the civil rights organisation Action Society.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) also lodged a criminal charge against National Commissioner Khehla Sitole on 9 December 2021 under section 33 of the Ipid Act at Pretoria Central Police Station. The charge is for failing to cooperate with an investigation in into the murder of detective Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear.
In November 2021, Sitole was already found guilty of breaching his statutory duty in terms of section 33 of the Ipid Act. Judgement by North Gauteng High Court Judge Norman Davis found he and his lieutenants flouted their duty as police officers by waylaying corruption investigations. Davis ruled that Sitole – alongside deputy national police commissioners Francinah Vuma and Leonard Tsumane – had effectively blocked a string of corruption investigations that were spearheaded by the police watchdog.
Cameron continues: “Lt. General Khehla Sitole is a failure as a National Commissioner and should be sacked immediately. Unfortunately, Sitole is only the head of the snake when you look at leadership in the SAPS, Minister Cele himself was fired as National Commissioner and now holds a higher position which he is clearly not qualified for. Sitole is yet another name to be added to the list of failed SAPS commissioners once again implicated in some form of corruption: an ANC appointed commissioner that couldn’t do the job without getting involved in corruption.”
Sitole’s failures and negligence doesn’t end there. More recently, during hearings about the July 2021 unrest, Sitole also conceded that police were overstretched and didn’t have enough capacity to deal with the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The unrest, which happened mostly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, left more than 340 people dead and dented the economy by R50 billion.
Action Society feels very strongly that an independent committee of policing experts must be appointed to manage the employment of top SAPS officials. This committee should be made up of individuals that understand what it means to work through the ranks but also have the necessary theoretical knowledge in order to determine who should be the National Commissioner, deputy commissioner, divisional commissioners, their deputies and other top provincial positions.
“If the status quo concerning appointments of SAPS leadership remains unchanged, we will see more cadre deployment by the ANC. It seems the ANC does not want the SAPS to function properly, because then they will be exposed for the far-reaching and massive corruption they have been involved in as the ruling party. The SAPS, especially members who risk their lives daily combatting crime, deserves leadership with integrity, something the ANC cadres are deprived of,” Cameron concludes.
If you agree, please support our #sacksitole campaign: https://actionsociety.co.za/sacksitole/
