Another flat car battery
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Crimes of the South African Police Service
SAPS forks out R25m on external consultants
to polish its image
Caiphus Kgosana@City_Press1
February 2015 16:00
The SA Police Service
(SAPS) is spending R25 million on external communications companies in a bid to
polish the image of national commissioner Riah Phiyega and the often-criticised
police force.
But questions have been
raised about why SAPS communications head Solomon Makgale would spend so much
money on consultants when there are more than 200 people working under him in
the communications unit.
The first company – The
Communications Firm – will provide reputation management, media monitoring and
analysis, as well as public relations services to the police. Its contract is
worth R9.6 million.
Another firm – The Switch
Design Company – has been appointed for two years to handle creative conceptualisation,
copywriting and designing of artwork. Its contract is valued at R5.4 million.
Negotiations are under way
with a third company to provide brand management services, with its contract
estimated to be R10 million.
But current and past staff
members of the SAPS communications division who spoke to City Press have
questioned the decision to outsource these functions, saying it was a waste of
money because there was more than enough internal capacity in the police to
handle all the work that is being given to outside firms.
“The SAPS has a fully
fledged communications unit. They do their own work, produce their own banners
and graphics, and perform all of those functions that are now being outsourced.
“What will they do with the
more than 200 staff members in communications?” asked an SAPS insider.
The staff structure at the
SAPS communications unit includes 10 senior managers at the level of director,
each earning more than R800 000 a year, and two chief directors appointed by
Makgale himself.
In all nine provinces, the
communications units are headed by directors who have sizable numbers of staff
members assisting at all levels to run the communications machinery.
One senior manager within
the communications unit said they were also surprised that Makgale was bringing
in consultants to do the work when he had failed to produce a communications
strategy to drive the work of the unit.
“How do you bring in
consultants when you can’t even produce a communications strategy? We are still
waiting for one. This is just a waste of money,” said a communications manager
who asked not to be named.
Makgale told City Press
that he was bringing in outside communications companies because there was
insufficient capacity within the
SAPS to handle all its
corporate communications needs.
“A skills audit within the
corporate communications division was done. It indicated that the basic
requisite skills mandatory for an organisation such as the SAPS were
insufficient to deal effectively with communication requirements from an
internal and external point of view,” Makgale said.
He said The Communications
Firm would assist with “identifying positive media coverage and assisting with
the management of crisis situations”.
The Switch Design Company
would focus on designing pamphlets and other materials, and the third company
would work on brand management and aligning the behaviour of employees with the
values of the SAPS.
Makgale said there was
nothing untoward in the awarding of the contracts, and all tenders had been
advertised and proper procurement processes had been followed.
He acknowledged that one of
the companies did work for Acsa when he was communications manager there, but
said the second company was appointed after he left.
“They were not appointed by
me. The Switch Design Company got a job from Acsa more than a year after I
left,” Makgale said.
Crimes of the South African Police Service
SAPS
dissembling over Jiba summons - Glynnis Breytenbach
Glynnis
Breytenbach
26
March 2015
DA
MP says police statement on matter is incorrect in its entirety and calculated
soley to deceive the public
SAPS misleading on Jiba summons
26 March 2015
The statement issued yesterday afternoon by the South African Police
Service (SAPS) in the matter regarding the issuance of a summons for National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA) second-in-command, Nomgcobo Jiba, is clearly
incorrect and the SAPS spokesperson is clearly poorly informed.
In the statement the SAPS denies that a summons was issued for Ms Jiba,
who is by all accounts AWOL. They further deny that a decision has been taken
whether or not to prosecute in the matter, and state that the investigation is
not yet completed.
The facts are that:
A summons has been issued by the NPA (since this is NOT a SAPS function)
in the normal course of events;
The summons was in fact issued by the clerk of the court of the
Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria as is normal practice;
This summons was issued with the full knowledge and co-operation of the
investigating officer in the case; and
The investigating officer caused the summons to be served by an officer
in his unit upon the Head Office of the NPA.
The reason for this service being that Ms Jiba could not be found due to
her being absent from work without leave and was also not at her place of
residence. It is therefore untrue, and unfortunately, misleading for the SAPS
to state that the NPA "jumped the gun" when issuing summons against
Jiba. It is equally untrue and misleading to state that no summons has been
issued.
The designated prosecution team, so designated by the National Director
of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Mxolisi Nxasana, in this particular matter is
stationed at the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit in Pretoria. It is therefore
misleading for the SAPS to state that the docket will be placed before the
relevant DPP for decision if and when the SAPS are "ready". The
docket can only be placed before the designated prosecutors, and NOT the DPP.
The statement issued by the SAPS is therefore incorrect in its entirety
and calculated soley to deceive the public. There can be but one explanation
for this - that the National Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, has every
intention of attempting to bring political influence to bear on the NPA or
other authorities to try and protect Ms Jiba.
The transparency of this clumsy approach would be quite laughable if it
was not so serious, and if it did not represent yet another attack on the Rule
of Law and the separation of powers, principles which clearly elude the
Commissioner.
The suggestion that I have even the remotest "vested interest"
in any prosecution or not of Jiba is equally without basis. My view that Jiba
should be prosecuted for her very questionable actions is based upon judgements
of the High Courts and the Supreme Court of Appeal, and has nothing do with any
personal opinion I may have of her.
Such a suggestion by the Commissioner is factually bereft of any truth
and is a rather desperate attempt to obfuscate the issues. In future, perhaps
the good Commissioner should ensure that she is adequately informed prior to
making reckless statements.
A statement was issued by the NPA spokesperson yesterday in which each
incorrect allegation by the SAPS was challenged, corrected and put into the
proper perspective.
It is clear that the political rot in the NPA and more particularly the
SAPS is getting worse, and that individuals within the ranks of both
organisations will go to any lengths in order to provide political protection
for those who have been deployed by the President.
Statement issued by Glynnis Breytenbach MP,
DA Shadow Minister of Justice, March 26 2015
Crimes of the South African Police Service
groundup.org.za/article/call-make-secret-police-document-public_1666
Apr 2, 2014 - Dialogue: Zackie Achmat, a
vociferous critic of SAPS and a
member of Ndifuna Ukwazi, chats ... which outlines the resources available at
each police station, be made available to the public. ... The Ocean View
fisher blues.
Crimes of the South African Police Service
fin24
Tshwane metro cops suspended
Pretoria – The South African Informal Traders Forum [SAITF] and its
affiliate, the Tshwane Barekisi Forum, have welcomed the suspension of the four
Tshwane metro police officials who were involved in the shooting of 20 year-old
informal trader on Wednesday.
Pretoria police said earlier they were investigating a case of murder following the shooting of the hawker during a confrontation with the metro police.
SAITF said, however, that it was disappointed that four traders, arrested on the day of the killing, were remanded in custody until 17 January.
The traders alleged that hawker Foster Jan Rivombo was shot dead during the scuffle.
Pretoria police said earlier they were investigating a case of murder following the shooting of the hawker during a confrontation with the metro police.
SAITF said, however, that it was disappointed that four traders, arrested on the day of the killing, were remanded in custody until 17 January.
The traders alleged that hawker Foster Jan Rivombo was shot dead during the scuffle.
Confiscated
Several of the informal traders earlier complained of vicious physical attacks by members of the Tshwane metro police.
The Traders Forum said in a media release that Tshwane metro police on a regular basis patrolled around the city and demanded licenses from traders.
When the traders produced a licence, the Forum said, the metro police confiscated the document and the next day they would return and confiscate stock for operating without a permit.
The leadership of the Barekisi Forum staged a sit-in at the mayor’s office last year and the women were promised action by the mayor on matters affecting traders, but to date nothing has transpired. fin24
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Mail and Guardian
Cellphone footage captured by police during the Marikana killings
confirms miners were shot at point-blank range while surrendering and hiding.
Cellphone footage captured
by police shows the officers were not acting in self-defence. (AP)
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Drug
Lord in Belvidere?
This humourous account of
police harassment first appeared on Belviderean, Mike Wood’s personal blog.
There I was thinking that having at last
reached pensionable age, I could look forward to putting my feet up, drinking
endless cups of tea, smoking the old clay pipe, not to mention having regular
‘Swedish massages’ in the Nekkies Safari Ethnic Guess House and financing my
wicked ways with a guaranteed Blair level pension generated by investments in
the opium trade. But, crivens, jings, help ma boab! I hadn’t realised
that the Knysna cops would so quickly discover my true identity (Mike ‘El Capo’
Du Bois). They’d somehow sussed that I’m the kingpin in the Knysna drugs
underworld. My god! What am I going to do now?
I’ve been having a bit of repair work done
around the house by someone who’s been helping me on and off for the last five
years. He’s reliable, thorough, and puts unexpected emphasis on going out of
his way to do a brilliant job. He’s not well off and drives a beaten up old
British car. Oh, and did I mention he has a long beard?
On Tuesday morning he sent me an SMS to say
that his car had broken down (again) and he was in the process of walking
around the lagoon to come to work in Belvidere as promised. Gordon Bennett! So
I called him back, told him he was an idiot for not asking me to pick him up in
town, and arranged to lift him a few hundred metres down from White Bridge,
opposite where Cheeseman and other artisans made a living before the new road
swept them out of existence. When I parked momentarily, a couple of police
vehicles pulled up behind me. Meanwhile, my handyman jumped into the car and we
headed back towards Belvidere.
You know how you get that creepy feeling at
the back of your neck when you’re walking through a darkened street and you
just know someone is about to spring at you from the shadows? I felt a bit like
that as the cop cars started to follow. We didn’t get far. By the time we reached
Crabs Creek the game was up. We were surrounded. There was no escape, dammit!
Inspector Titus greeted us thus: ‘We have you
at last El Capo, for we have reason to believe there are drugs in your polished
little Nissan Micra.’
‘But don’t drugs barons transport themselves
in dark-windowed Range Rovers? I replied. ‘Where is your ID?’
Inspector Titus shuffled uncomfortably
through a stack of plastic in his wallet and finally produced a grubby form of
identification. The disguise he and his colleagues had employed was pretty
brilliant because if it hadn’t been for the SAPS vehicles I would have sworn
they were a bunch of football hooligans.
They searched the polished little Nissan for
twenty minutes including under the spare wheel in the boot. One beanie-clan
‘officer’ seemed incredibly preoccupied with the dog cushion on the back seat.
He even sniffed it.
‘Shouldn’t you be devoting your two police
vehicles and six policemen to chasing Nigerian and Chinese drugs overlords?’ I
suggested to Titus.
‘We’ve got a difficult job,’ he replied.
Sure. Chasing OAPs must be in the job
description. They left us and the little Nissan, in a cloud of dust, refusing a
requested apology.
Crimes of the South African Police Service
[WATCH] The JMPD is
investigating after two of its members were caught on camera allegedly
assaulting a man.
A case of assault is being investigated after two
Johannesburg Metro Police Department officers were caught on camera hitting and
shoving a man at a Newlands scrap dealer.
ewn.co.za|By Supplied & Barry Bateman
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Black
Traffic cops illegally arrest white man, drops off his girlfriend with BMW but
without the keys in high-crime Alexandra
Traffic cops
illegally arrest white man, drops off his girlfriend with BMW but without the
keys in in high-crime Alexandra at 3am:
May 22 2015: Rob Braham writes: Please be careful of Johannesburg Municipal Police Department (JMPD ) at William Nicol Drive near Monte Casino.
Last night Pulling people over, harassing them, handcuffed the man & thrown into the back of a JMPD vehicle. The Other cop drove the woman's BMW with her in it, then left her alone at 3 am in a field nea...
May 22 2015: Rob Braham writes: Please be careful of Johannesburg Municipal Police Department (JMPD ) at William Nicol Drive near Monte Casino.
Last night Pulling people over, harassing them, handcuffed the man & thrown into the back of a JMPD vehicle. The Other cop drove the woman's BMW with her in it, then left her alone at 3 am in a field nea...
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Baby
plays with Stupid Police’s R5 weapon which they forgot at Victims Home
2015-05-22 Johannesburg - Two West Rand police officers are facing disciplinary action after a 1-year-old baby began playing with an R5 rifle one of the officers had forgotten in her parents' home.Nikita and Kobus van Zyl, fr...
Cop endangers
Afrikaner baby girl by "forgetting" his R5 rifle
-- This is why South African Police lost hundreds of firearms in a year - video only in Afrikaans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-cXVpDMZQ -- Report by Vania van der Heever, Netwerk24
-- This is why South African Police lost hundreds of firearms in a year - video only in Afrikaans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-cXVpDMZQ -- Report by Vania van der Heever, Netwerk24
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Black Police
Tie White woman up with Dog Chain in office on trumped up Speeding Charge
White Benoni woman
'arrested' for fake #traffic offence' CHAINED
WITH DOG CHAIN for 5hrs, denied a chair by black cops in #KemptonPark charge office -
report by her family -- White woman arrested on trumped-up 'speeding offence'
by East Rand Metro Police, 23 May 2015: tied up to her ankle with a DOG-CHAIN
for five hours. The white woman, a well-respected Benoni resident, had just
returned from doctor's check up after surgery two weeks earlier: the dog-chain
cut off circulation to her leg:while she was chained to a pole in charge
office, handcuffed and refused a chair for five hours.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Safe goes
missing at Police Station
A Police Constable
from Alberton Police Station has been arrested following the theft of a police
safe at Alberton SAPS last week. Also, five other members including the Station
Commander, VISPOL Commander and SAP 13 (exhibit room) official have been
suspended with immediate effect for poor management and maladministration.
This follows the
theft of a police safe at Alberton police station on 22 March 2013. The
Constable was arrested late last night after an intensive police ...
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