SSA cabinet shuffle ‘least surprising move’ – Kohler Barnard

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s action regarding the SSA is concerning as a high level of secrecy could remain, the DA has warned.

The least surprising change made in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent cabinet reshuffle was his move to do away with the State Security Agency (SSA), since there had to be “severe lessons seen to be taught” following the recent unrest that gripped parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.                                        

This was the view of DA spokesperson on police Dianne Kohler Barnard who said she had expected that the president’s “close ally” Police Minister Bheki Cele, would be left unscathed, despite her view that on all accounts of the three security cluster entities, the South African Police Service (SAPS) had “performed by far the worst”.

The public has widely criticised the police, especially in Durban, where citizens were left to protect their suburbs, supermarkets and businesses against the threat of looters after many premises were looted and torched across the city. Residents complained that the ill-equipped police, who quickly ran out of rubber bullets, had stood by and watched as looters raided stores. They also complained that they could not make contact with police for assistance in their suburbs.                                                                            

“Naturally all fingers are now pointing to the National Police Commissioner, General Kehla Sithole, who should probably be counting up his pension benefits which may have to come into play in the near future,”  

– Dianne Kohler Barnard DA MP and Spokesperson on Police
Please follow and like us: