Colonel caught napping at OR Tambo
July 18 2015 at 12:03pm
By RABBIE SERUMULA
By RABBIE SERUMULA
I
NDEPENDENT MEDIAColonel Mokotedi
Makuwa.
Police are conducting an internal inquiry into the conduct of a
high-ranking police official who was caught sleeping - in full uniform - while
on duty at OR Tambo International Airport.
Colleagues reportedly snapped the damning photographs of Colonel
Mokotedi Makuwa – who was already dogged by controversy over his appointment –
in April, circulating them widely within the airport police station.
The incident came shortly after Makuwa was allegedly unlawfully
appointed as head of operational response services at OR Tambo in March.
It is the second time police officers have been photographed sleeping on
duty in recent months. Two officers from Wierdabrug police station were caught
sleeping while on duty in a marked police vehicle at a service station in
Centurion. Disciplinary measures were taken against the pair.
In addition to his napping indiscretion, Makuwa’s appointment is the
subject of an internal dispute because the post he applied for, and now fills,
was allegedly not advertised but was earmarked for him. His detractors maintain
due process was not followed.
Police confirmed the pictures circulated depicted Makuwa sleeping and
that they were conducting an internal disciplinary inquiry into his alleged
misconduct but denied due process was not followed in Makuwa’s appointment.
“We are concerned that a senior member is alleged to have behaved in
such a manner,” said police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo. “A senior officer… has
been appointed to conduct an investigation.”
But officers at OR Tambo, who did not want to be named for fear of
reprisals, told Saturday Star they were unhappy about Makuwa’s appointment and
said his alleged misconduct should be investigated.
According to records the Saturday Star has seen, Makuwa had not applied
for the post of head of operational response services in his transfer
application. Instead, he applied for head of detectives or operational
commander, neither of which was vacant.
In addition, The Saturday Star has been reliably informed that another
officer was acting in the post Makuwa now fills at the time his appointment was
made.
The documents show Makuwa applied for a transfer from North West, where
he was provincial commander for border policing, in his transfer application on
July 25 last year.
Makuwa wrote: “The current detective head at OR Tambo is going to retire
at the end of August. I am prepared to fill up the post.”
Makuwa then crossed out detective head and replaced it with operational
commander.
Station commander Brig-adier Renny Mogale wrote a motivation for Makuwa
to occupy this position before it was vacated.
The SA Policing Union has lodged a grievance, according to Steve Sennya,
a shop steward. Sennya said the appointment was not fair and transparent and
that officers in lower ranks could have had an opportunity for promotion.
“We logged the grievance a few months ago. We follow up on the matter
but these things take time.”
Naidoo, however, said Makuwa’s placing at OR Tambo International Airport
was not controversial.
“The colonel is a fully-fledged police officer with 27 years’ service.
He made an application for a lateral transfer to the airport from North West
province, where he was a provincial commander, operational response service
division, border policing. He is experienced in criminal investigations,
intelligence gathering and crime prevention.”
Naidoo added Makuwa had experience in the operation of several land
borders and an international airport.
rabbie.serumula@inl.co.za
Saturday Star
