The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has directed that immediate expeditious disciplinary steps be taken against two police officers who are seen in a video footage infringing the SAPS Code of Conduct and bringing the image of the South African Police Service into disrepute.
In the video, a police officer in uniform, driving a state vehicle belonging to Sundumbili police station can be seen picking up an off duty police officer at a voting station. The off duty police officer in the video can be seen wearing regalia of a political party.
The Provincial Commissioner ordered that the two officers must be removed from the Elections deployment with immediate effect. He said that police officers must be professional at all times and respect the oath which they took when they voluntarily joined the South African Police Service.
“In more than one occasion I reiterated to the members of the South African Police Service here in KwaZulu-Natal that they should be apolitical and leave politics to politicians. I emphasized the fact that police officers must never campaign or be seen to be campaigning for any political party. What these police officers did is totally unacceptable and such behaviour undermines the hard work that the police have been doing to create a safe and secure environment for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. The two members will be subjected to internal disciplinary steps proportional to their unbecoming behaviour”, said Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.
Police officers are reminded that they must treat all political parties equally and with respect. Political parties and community members are also encouraged to report and wrongdoing by the members of the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal. No one is above the law and police officers who are found to be on the wrong side of the law will dance to the tunes of their unbecoming actions.
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