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The South African Policing Union would like to welcome the appointment of Lt-Gen. Khehla Sitole as the new national police commissioner of the SAPS.

This is long overdue as the lack of permanent leadership in the police was counter-productive. We welcome his appointment with some reservation. We will give him the benefit of doubt hopefully he will prove sceptics wrong.

We do not have any vendetta against him however we are on record as SAPU calling on President Jacob Zuma to go for the best when appointing the next national police commissioner.

We had hoped President Zuma would consider appointing either Lt-Gen. Godfrey Lebeya or Lt-.Gen. Mofomme a policeman and a policewoman of great integrity who were chased away by the then national commissioner Riah Phiyega. Now that Lt-Gen. Sitole has been appointed we offer to give him our total support towards the realisation of a crime free society. We commend the fact t hat this is career cop with more than 30 years experience in the police.

It is a pity that the president missed an opportunity to fully follow the prescripts of the National Development Plan in this appointment. If he had three candidates at least and chose the best out of those leading candidates.

The process is now water under the bridge. We call upon Gen. Sitole to kick the ground running. He must act with speed to appoint his team including the divisional commissioner of Crime Intelligence. The positive welcome he receives from the public as the career cop puts him under pressure to deliver.

SAPU is a professional union that pledges to work well with him. Our primary task is to fight crime not politics. We therefore call upon Gen. Sitole to open his door for constructive engagement with social partners including organised labour. His appointment will also bring stability in the police.

Issued by South African Policing Union