DA vows to rid SAPS of political appointees

JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for an end to political appointments in the police sector. 

The party is campaigning on the West Rand in Gauteng - an area overburdened with illegal mining and its associated crimes. 

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The blue party says crime cannot be solved if the right people are not in the correct positions within the police sector. 

Riah Phiyega, Jackie Selebi and Bheki Cele are among those who have previously occupied the post of national police commissioner despite having no prior police experience. 

Each of the trio had controversial tenures as public office bearers.

Crime activist turned DA politician Ian Cameron says decisions like these have thwarted the police from being an effective service.

"We’ve said we need to polygraph management to determine where to start investigating corruption at the top. If we don’t fix the crisis at the top, we can’t expect anything to change at the bottom because it’s like sticking a plaster on a wound that needs surgery."

Meanwhile, DA Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga said should the party assume the power to govern South Africa, it will within its first 100 days in office implore the national government to hand over police power to Gauteng.