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The DA urgently calls on the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, to set aside the appointment of Major-General Patrick Mbotho to Divisional Commissioner in the Hawks, given the serious allegations against him. His appointment is nothing less than an insult to our nation's commitment to building a professional, competent and clean law enforcement community.

On Wednesday, 18 September 2024, Mbotho's appointment to his new position was debated in the Portfolio Committee on Police, where the Chairperson of the Committee, Ian Cameron, raised critical concerns: "How do we justify an appointment of a general who was previously found not only [to have] sent pornographic material to his detective command ... but also continuing with underworld activities, meeting with well-known underworld figures in Cape Town involved in extortion, among other things?"

An officer who has met with a known figure in the criminal underworld, who assails fellow officers with explicit sexual material, and who left at least one appointment under a cloud of controversy cannot be considered fit to serve in such a high-powered role. Mbotho’s appointment stains our nation’s dedication in protecting women and children and the combatting of organised crime. His placement in such a critical position, in light of these allegations, erodes public trust in our law enforcement agencies.

The DA will write to the Minister to request that he undertake a full investigation into the process taken in Mbotho’s appointment as well as the myriad allegations levelled against him. The DA will also request that the outcomes of such an investigation be presented to the Portfolio Committee for further interrogation.

Mbotho, who is slated to start in his new position on 1 October 2024 with a R2 million salary package, posted graphic sexual content on a SAPS detective command WhatsApp group from his official cellphone in 2017. He was later redeployed to the Hawks in the North West. At the same time, senior colleagues in the SAPS – including the then-head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit – have raised serious concerns about Mbotho’s professional conduct.

It was reported in the same year that Mbotho, when he was acting provincial commissioner, held meetings with alleged mob boss, Nafiz Modack, on more than one occasion. Modack stands accused of multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, corruption, extortion, racketeering, and money laundering. He is also alleged to have had a hand in the assassination of Lieutenant Colonel Charl Kinnear in 2020.

Despite these grave concerns, Hawks boss, Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, staunchly defended Mbotho’s appointment at a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Police on Wednesday, praising his years in service. What Lebeya failed to address was how it could conceivably be acceptable to appoint an officer to senior status in the Hawks when his integrity is so seriously in question.

South Africans deserve to be protected by men and women in blue that are beyond reproach, fit for purpose, competent to do the job, and that inspires confidence in our law enforcement bodies instead of eroding their integrity even further.

Issued by Lisa Schickerling MP - DA Spokesperson on Police