Pretoria - The South African Police Service Board of Commissioners has distanced itself from allegations of mutiny within the ranks of the police service.
The board also says that the purpose of the statement which was issued on 1 August was to refute such allegations.
In the statement following their briefing with Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, on Wednesday, the board said the statement issued two weeks ago had unintended consequences.
Their statement, two weeks ago, followed a recommendation by the Farlam Commission on Marikana, stating that there should be an inquiry into National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega's fitness to hold office.
During the briefing with the Portfolio Committee, the provincial police commissioners were grilled over their statement as they felt that it was unfortunate and inappropriate in the current set of circumstances.
The Committee said this conduct by the said officers blurs the line between the role of civil servants (police officers) and the executive.
The Committee said police officers should concern themselves with fighting crime and desist from engaging in political processes.
As such the Committee resolved that the SAPS bosses should retract their old statement, apologise to the Committee and the Presidency, and undertake never to repeat the mistake again.
“The statement was never intended to undermine any processes which are currently taking place within the SAPS. The Board of Commissioners (BOC) respect such processes.
“To that extent, the BOC regrets the unintended consequences of the statement issued,” the board of commissioners said.
They added that the statement was never intended to cause any harm to the organisation and the community, hence all the Provincial Commissioners apologised during the session with the Portfolio Committee for the misconceptions that were created.
However, the BOC said it would like to engage further on this matter as they believe “there is information which the BOC was unable to share”.
The board said it will continue to respect all processes and continue to lead the organisation in a professional manner and ensure that the communities are safe and secure. - SAnews.gov.za
