The appointment of Mayor General King Bhoyi Ngcobo as the new acting head of crime intelligence is disturbing seeing as it is clearly just the deployment of yet another loyal cadre of President Jacob Zuma, says Dr Pieter Groenewald, leader of the FF Plus.
Dr Groenewald says that despite the fact that it seems like Ngcobo is fairly experienced after his twenty years of serving in the police force, there is much controversy surrounding him after allegations that he forged his matric certificate.
Before Ngcobo filled the position of acting head of crime intelligence following Richard Mdluli’s suspension, he worked very closely with the president.
It is clear that President Zuma wants total control of all the various divisions of the intelligence service, in this case, crime intelligence.
“The former head of crime intelligence, Mayor General Pat Mokushane, was dismissed because he obtained a falsified security clearance. This raises questions about the credibility of the security clearance process. Whether Ngcobo’s clearance will be credible remains to be seen.
“Ngcobo’s appointment also creates concern about the future appointment of a permanent National Police Commissioner. It is obvious that President Zuma surrounds himself with loyalists and that he would not hesitate to make a politically motivated appointment.
“The police force is in crisis because its top management is not up to standard, because strategic positions are filled in an acting capacity and because politically motivated appointments do not value expertise and experience,” says Dr Groenewald.
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