Cachalia’s appointment met with mixed reactions

INCOMING acting police minister Professor Firoz Cachalia says the focus will be on the effectiveness of the police in dealing with crime, particularly those that have a strong impact on communities.

"I'm still wrapping my head around what the priorities need to be," he said on Monday, a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him to hold the fort in place of Senzo Mchunu.  

Mchunu will be taking a leave of absence from his official duties following serious allegations against him by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya of corruption, political interference, and being involved in a drug cartel.

Central to the controversy is the disbandment of the political killings task team, the freezing of posts for crime intelligence, which has left KZN with vacant positions, among others. Both Mchunu and Sibiya have publicly dismissed the allegations that will now form the basis of a commission of inquiry to be headed by current  Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

Ramaphosa said the allegations against Mchunu, if not addressed, would have a negative impact on the country.

The EFF has taken issue with Cachalia’s appointment, saying appointing an ‘outside’ will further burden the already overstretched taxpayer. Cachalia officially takes over from next month. 

"The taxpayers will pay for Mchunu's vacation and time off to go and consolidate his associates in the syndicates exposed by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi," said EFF spokesperson Sinaw Thambo. 

Thambo also questioned the constitutional validity of Cachalia's appointment, arguing that Section 91 (3) (c) of the Constitution does not apply to the appointment of an acting minister.

"The President of the Republic is therefore either surrounded by incompetent advisors, legally and otherwise, or he is surrounded by advisors so cunning that they have weaponised our Constitution to enhance ANC patronage and defend the corrupt," said Thambo.

"The EFF is appalled by the decision of President Cyril Ramaphosa to place Minister Senzo Mchunu on 'special leave' instead of removing him entirely from his position. This so-called 'special leave' is a cowardly deflection, designed to shield a minister whose involvement in organised crime has been laid bare by Mkhwanazi."

uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said Ramaphosa had had an opportunity to take South Africa into confidence and to deal with these issues decisively.

“Instead, he calls for a commission of inquiry, and he expects South Africa to be patient when people are dying on a daily basis,” Ndhlela said.

The Sisulu Foundation for Social Justice weighed on Cachalia’s appointment, saying: “The appointment of Professor Cachalia—however qualified—symbolizes the President’s deepening disconnect from public sentiment, even as it deepens the mistrust and resentment in a president deeply embroiled in suspicions and allegations of criminal acts and covering up those acts. South Africans are not demanding more elite commissions or carefully calculated reshuffles. They are demanding accountability, action, and political courage… Swapping out ministers or parachuting new faces may look good on paper, but it does nothing to confront the entrenched networks of corruption hollowing out our criminal justice system.”

Meanwhile, high office bearers within Ramaphosa’s Cabinet have revealed that Mathale was angry at being overlooked to take over from Mchunu.

Mathale has been the deputy police minister since former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure.

“The question as to why comrade president (Ramaphosa) has appointed an outsider remains unknown because Mathale has been in the game for a long time… he has been overlooked because he has since been known as a Zuma person.

“It's a little strange, really, as to why it was not automatic that either Polly Boshielo or Cassel Mathale had not taken over,” the source said.

Cape Times