The Manase Investigating team interviewed numerous metro police officers about the alleged irregularities in the unit.
|||Durban - The Manase Investigating team interviewed numerous metro police officers about alleged irregularities in the unit.
But many refused to be named.
They believed regardless of the team’s findings and recommendations, no action would be taken against the people identified.
They would only be victimised for the information provided, they said.
Much has been publicised about the irregularities after the release of the Manase progress report last month.
The progress report referred to several allegations, including traffic fine corruption and irregularities; over-time fraud; metro police officers operating taxis; nepotism, and a metro police officer running an abnormal load escorting business that was taking away business from the metro police.
Not in the public domain was the investigating team’s interviews with metro police about uniform tenders.
The team said it was also unable to secure evidence to support allegations that the uniform tender was “unduly influenced by senior managers within the metro police department” and resulted in uniforms of sub-standard quality being supplied.
In spite of several requests, the investigating team said it was not provided with documents on this tender, which would have helped them conduct an effective review of the tender process.
“During numerous interviews with metro police officers, everyone, except for metro police head Eugene Nzama, complained about the quality of uniforms being purchased by the metro police department,” the report read.
It was reported that field dress shirts and pants fell apart.
Members interviewed from the fire and emergency services apparently echoed similar sentiments.
Two anonymous sources had told the team that senior managers were allegedly involved in giving the tender to their “cronies”.
Tender documents were requested, but comprehensive reports were not provided.
The team concluded that further investigation was required into the uniform tender.
The team also listed numerous other allegations, provided by anonymous sources, that required further investigation.
They included:
* A metro policeman running a security business and visiting his sites in uniform, using a police vehicle.
* Vagrants were being kidnapped and removed from the beachfront area.
* A former councillor and current municipal employee bought a municipal vehicle for R1 during the merger of municipalities to form the Durban Metro.
* Municipal vehicles were being used for private parties.
* A metro police officer committed an armed robbery using a police vehicle and escaped while being chased by his colleagues. This officer is alleged to be involved in three cases of corruption.
The investigating team recommended that further investigation, with powers to subpoena third party individuals and documentation, should be conducted on the metro police unit.
The report also recommended that the officials identified should each be provided with copies of this section of the report and be formally instructed to respond as to why disciplinary and or criminal proceedings should not be instituted against them.
noelene.barbeau@inl.co.za
Daily News