Court dismisses Khomotso Phahlane’s bid to be reinstated

Former acting National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has suffered another legal blow after the Labour Appeal Court dismissed his bid to get his job back.

Phahlane was fired from the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 2020 following a three-year suspension linked to allegations of corruption and misconduct.

An internal investigation found him guilty of deliberately or negligently failing to implement a R46 million contract for the procurement of 360-degree panoramic cameras.

The matter ultimately resulted in his arrest and left the police service with more than R24 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Phahlane referred his unfair dismissal dispute to the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council following his dismissal from the police service in mid-2020.

However, the council ruled that his dismissal was fair and an appropriate sanction under the circumstances.

Phahlane then approached the Johannesburg Labour Court to review and set that ruling aside, but his application was unsuccessful.

He subsequently escalated the matter to the Labour Appeal Court, which, on Thursday, also dismissed his bid for reinstatement.

In its judgment, the court found no evidence of any reviewable irregularity by the arbitrator in upholding Phahlane’s dismissal.