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Phiyega no politician

SINCE the Farlam Commission recommended that national police commissioner Riah Phiyega’s role before and after the killing of 34 miners in Marikana be investigated, calls for her resignation have mounted. And the number is growing even bigger every day.

The list of those who have called for her resignation recently, includes influential political analyst, Steven Friedman, who said the Farlam Commission’s recommendation that Phiyega’s fitness to hold office be probed was not enough.

The commission held police management accountable for the killing of 34 miners on the day which will go down in history as the worst case of police brutality since South Africa’s first all-important, all-race elections of 1994.

“If the national police leadership was aware of what was happening, if they misled the commission, then the commissioner must resign,” Friedman was quoted as saying.

“Even on the president’s version of it, I think a lot of people will be disappointed if the report has indeed found the national leadership of the police were aware of what was happening, they were directly responsible, they misled the commission … and simply a recommendation to say we should look at her fitness seems way below what we’re entitled to … if indeed she was directly responsible,” Friedman added.

The Farlam Commission, which also probed the killing of 10 people in the week before 16 August 2012, also recommended that the recently retired North West Provincial Police Commissioner, Zukiswa Mbombo, be probed too.

Though there have been unconfirmed reports that she is preparing to step down, I am afraid Phiyega’s case could become another example of how the government ignores the feelings of the general populace. South African politicians are often not perturbed by calls for them to resign.

We have not heard from her since the release of the Farlam Commission findings a couple of weeks back. And she continues with her day to day duties as police commissioner as if nothing is happening.

She has another two weeks before she's expected to respond to President Jacob Zuma's letter about the probe into her fitness to hold office.

Phiyega’s office has made it clear that no public pronouncements would be made regarding the Marikana report at this stage.

When releasing the report last month, Zuma announced that he had written to Phiyega about the commission's findings.

Zuma said: “The commission has also recommended that there must be an inquiry. I have written to the national commissioner, to inform her of the recommendations pertaining to her,”

I think Phiyega should resign. She’d have a lot of things to do. She has formidable experience and good post-graduate qualifications.

She previously was Group Executive of Absa Bank. She was Group Executive of Transnet. She was an Executive at the National Ports Authority of South Africa.

She was also Director Of Development at National Child Welfare. She served as Deputy Chairperson for the Public Office Bearers Commission. She led and chaired The Presidential State Owned Enterprises Review Committee.

But she really seems to aspire to being a politician. And that’s the problem. She has failed dismally in her current role and she knows it. What is left of her is to admit to this and think about her future plans.

The reason she wants to hang on to this position or any other position Zuma may bestow on her in the future, I assume, is that government has lots of undeserved benefits, which include a job for life.

Remember Zuma and the ANC do not fire their cadres into oblivion despite their erratic behaviour. They only move them to other posts.


 

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