The ANC provincial task team (PTT) in KwaZulu-Natal has hailed the leadership of provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in the fight against crime, describing him as highly competent and effective.
ANC leader of the PTT and provincial convener Jeff Radebe, expressed satisfaction with Mkhwanazi’s leadership in the fight against crime and called on the community to support and assist the police in their efforts to curb criminal activity. Radebe was engaging with listeners of a Durban radio station on Wednesday evening.
The ANC leaders have been on a charm offensive since their appointment to lead the party in the province a few weeks ago, visiting TV and radio stations to speak to the public about their plans to restore the dignity and trust of the ANC in the eyes of the public. The ANC suffered catastrophic electoral losses last year, leading the party's national leadership to remove the provincial leadership and deploy a 66-member task team to lead the province instead.
The ANC’s support for Mkhwanazi comes at a time when the provincial commissioner is facing a probe by the Independent Police Imvestigative Directorate (IPID) following an anonymous complaint that accused the commissioner of interfering with the arrest of a senior prison official accused of dealing drugs.
Addressing the listeners, Radebe stated that they are confident in Mkhwanazi's ability to address crime and criminality in the province. Responding to concerns raised by one of the listeners about wrongdoing and corruption, Radebe acknowledged that there have been many mistakes that the party will work to correct.
“Yes, there is a lot of corruption, but it is the responsibility of all of us as members of the community to report any malfeasance we observe to the police. I am very happy to note that here in KwaZulu-Natal, we have a very effective police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi, who has distinguished himself with a zero tolerance for crime and corruption. So let us support our men and women in blue in uncovering all the problems and crime that happens in South Africa.
“Even the SIU and other law enforcement agencies need our support. We must provide them with information and advise the community that if you are aware of any crime happening within the government, it is your responsibility and duty to report it. Because if you do not report it to law enforcement, you are as guilty as the person who is corrupt,” said Radebe.