SAPS concerns laid bare in testimonies, says ActionSA's Dereleen James
ActionSA’s Dereleen James said that the testimonies they have heard have not come as a surprise.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
ActionSA's Dereleen James remarked that the testimonies heard by Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee regarding allegations against SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi were anticipated, as many MPs have long been aware of the state of State Security.
Her comments came during the committee's proceedings, where Lieutenant-General Francinah Vuma, former deputy national commissioner for Support Services, testified on Wednesday.
Vuma was suspended in 2022 and retired in January 2026.
She told the committee that the allegations formed part of a protected disclosure document she submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa, in which she detailed alleged interference by former Police minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
Lieutenant-General Francinah Vuma, who served as deputy national commissioner for Support Services and later Asset and Legal Management, testified on Wednesday.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
When asked if the committee feels better placed at present as opposed to last month, James said: “I'm not even gonna say that we are in a better place than what we were. Some of us have known the state of State security for the longest time.
“Getting all these testimonies was just basically confirmation of that, which we knew, and it basically just amplified our voices, and it amplified what South Africans are having to experience at your police stations.
“It basically just showed us why we are not being served,” James said. “It has been confirmation basically on something that we've already known.”
While the committee is expected to wrap up proceedings next Tuesday, following the return of Mkhwanazi and Masemola, James said that at some point, they have to conclude “because we've heard enough”.
“Let us get down to the important part of the work of this committee, which is forming that report right now. Unfortunately, I must say that I know South Africans are currently expecting to see people in orange overalls.
“I think if anything, South Africans want to see people locked up and behind bars. This committee is not geared to actually effect arrests,” James said.
“This committee is here to look at reforms, to make submissions in terms of what we have heard in the various departments: how can we best address political infiltration? How can we best address the fact that service providers entangle themselves with SAPS top management and compromise the mandate of SAPS?
“Those are the types of things that we're gonna have to look at; how we can strengthen policies within SAPS, all these state institutions,” James said.
During Monday's committee meeting, MPs were still seeking clarity over the appearance of the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI), Imtiaz Fazel.
James said that whether or not he appears before the committee, he is unlikely to tell them something different from what they have heard.
“Whether it is the President (Cyril Ramaphosa) coming now, whether it is the IGI - what are they gonna tell us differently from what we have heard?
“I think for us now, the focus is to apply our minds to the response to South Africans. We know that this isn't the end of an open-door policy for South Africans,” James said.