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- The Presidency announced the termination of Khehla Sitole.
- The termination takes effect on 31 March 2022.
- Political parties have responded to the news.
The South African Policing Union (SAPU) says it is not surprised by the termination of national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole.
On Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Sitole's contract would be terminated with effect from 31 March 2022 by "mutual agreement."
Ramaphosa said they had agreed that the early termination of the commissioner's contract was "in the best interests of the country".
READ | Ramaphosa terminates Khehla Sitole's contract
However, speaking to News24 shortly after Sitole's departure was announced, SAPU spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale questioned how it went from Sitole being asked to give reasons why he should not be suspended to now reaching a mutual agreement.
"If he did something, instead of disciplining him like any other member, we see the president reaching a mutual agreement," Thobakgale said.
"We do not believe it is in the interests of the country, but in the interests of politicians who have an interest in policing."
He, however, commended Sitole for "resisting political interference".
Meanwhile, the DA has welcomed Sitole's departure.
DA spokesperson Andrew Whitfield said in a statement: "Clearly, it was time for Sitole to go. However, the detail of this dismissal is scant, and the public deserves to know whether a golden handshake was given."
Whitfield said Sitole's removal was welcomed, but Police Minister Bheki Cele should follow suit if the president was "serious about starting the hard work of rebuilding trust and credibility in the SAPS".
READ | The issues that led to Ramaphosa announcing the early termination of Khehla Sitole's contract
"The tit-for-tat political spat between General Sithole and Minister Cele has rendered the SAPS ungovernable. A complete overhaul at the very top is necessary to undo the damage caused by both men," Whitfield said.
The EFF is of the view that the decision "is based purely on factional interests".
"Khehla Sitole has become a casualty of Ramaphosa's cowardice and attempt to please his henchman, Bheki Cele, who is the central problem to the crisis confronting the South African Police Service (SAPS)," the EFF said in a statement on Friday.
It said SAPS was a "broken institution, riddled with corruption and lack of a central authority", noting that the problem at the institution is not the commissioner, but rather the minister.
"It does not matter who becomes a commissioner of police, as long as Bheki Cele is the minister, he will attempt to micro-manage people who are skilled in bureaucracy, and when he is defied, he will wreak havoc, spread gossip and render that department unworkable," the party said.
FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said Sitole's departure would help to alleviate the tense relationship between the police's top brass and the police ministry, so it could focus on effective crime-fighting.
"The reality is that the president should also replace Police Minister Bheki Cele. This is because Cele wants to play the role of police commissioner while he is a politician and not an experienced and accomplished police officer," said Groenewald.
"There is a big chance that Cele will try to interfere in the operations of the police under a new commissioner. As [a] minister, he is not allowed to do this."
He said, if this happened again, there would be a return to the current situation of great tension between the commissioner and minister.
ALSO READ | Cele claims Malema and Sitole tried to hatch a plot to remove him
"The FF Plus wants to make it clear that the new commissioner of police should be a person with proper experience in the police service and not a political appointment that happened before the appointment of Sitole."
He said Ramaphosa should appoint a committee of experts in policing. The candidates must then appear before the committee, much like the appointment process of the chief justice.
A spokesperson for the police minister, Lirandzu Themba, could not immediately be reached for comment.
An announcement on the filling of the post is expected in due course.
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