Voorsitter, die Onafhanklike Klagtedirektoraat, OKD, is tot stand gebring met die edel doelstellings om korrekte polisie-optrede te bevorder en te vestig of, negatief gestel, om klagtes van polisiebrutaliteit, -kriminaliteit en-wangedrag te ondersoek en ideaalgesproke dan uit te roei.
Die direktoraat is al amper 'n dekade met ons en die sukses al dan nie van hierdie instelling kan sekerlik juis gemeet word aan die hand van die opdrag wat tot sy instelling gelei het.
Ek wil ook vandag beweer dat 'n sterk en goedfunksionerende OKD instrumenteel sou wees tot 'n polisiediens wat deur beeld en optrede die agting en respek van die publiek sou afdwing. Ongelukkig is die teenoorgestelde egter waar. Wat verwag ons anders as, wanneer die Staande Komitee op Veiligheid en Sekuriteit die nodigheid van 24 nuwe kantore vir die OKD bespreek, om maar net te begin om die geweldige infrastruktuur- en mannekragtekort aan te spreek, veral in die landelike gebiede?
Terwyl die komitee die OKD probeer help om sy werk behoorlik te kan doen, maak die Nasionale Kommissaris van Veiligheid en Sekuriteit die ongelooflike uitlating dat die direktoraat se tyd verby is. Tyd verby, soos in, "mission accomplished". Dit is mos net nie moontlik nie. Juis dit wat ons met 'n welfunksionerende OKD wil bereik, naamlik openheid, erkenning, reiniging, herstel en uiteindelik reklamering en beeldpoetsing, word polities verwoes deur optredes so onlangs as met die polisie se begrotingsdebat deur die Minister self; 'n vertoning wat vir die kriminele en misdadigers soos manna uit die hemel moes klink.
U het die gevolge van di katastrofale vertoning oral gesien. U het die geskarrel, ongeloof en magtelose woede onder die publiek waargeneem, ook in die townships. Hierdie vertoning het die beeld van die polisie en die OKD onherstelbaar geskend het en skokgolwe deur ons land gestuur het. 'n Gebrek aan die politieke wil om die OKD te maak werk, saam gelees met die onsekerheid wat hardhandige en arrogante miskenning van leierswe veroorsaak, maak dit onmoontlik vir die direktoraat om in sy doel te slaag. Die DA vra dat sy beswaar aangeteken word. Baie dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.) [Mr R J KING: Chairperson, the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD, was established with the noble objective of promoting and establishing a proper code of conduct for the police or, phrased negatively, to investigate and ideally eradicate police brutality, criminality and misconduct.
The directorate has been with us for almost a decade now and whether or not this institution is successful can certainly be measured against the very mandate that led to its establishment. Today I want to maintain that a strong and well-functioning ICD will be instrumental in creating a police service that, through its image and actions, will command honour and respect from the public. Unfortunately, the opposite is true however. What else do we expect, when the Standing Committee on Safety and Security is discussing the need for 24 new ICD offices, just to start addressing the enormous lack of infrastructure and manpower, especially in the rural areas?
While the committee is trying to enable the ICD to do its work properly, the National Commissioner of Safety and Security makes the unbelievable statement that the directorate has had its day. It has had its day as in "mission accomplished". It is just not possible. Those very things that we want to achieve with a well-functioning ICD, namely transparency, acknowledgement, cleansing, reconstruction and eventually reclaiming and polishing its image, are politically destroyed by the Minister's own actions as recently as during the budget speech of the police, a display that must have sounded like manna from heaven to the criminals and offenders.
You saw the effects of this catastrophic display everywhere. You observed the confusion, disbelief and the powerless anger among the public, in the townships as well. This display caused irreversible damage to the image of the police and the ICD and sent shockwaves through our country. A lack of political will to make the ICD work, together with the uncertainty caused by the harsh and arrogant disregard for the woes of the leaders, make it impossible for the directorate to succeed in its goal. The DA requests that its objection be noted. Thank you very much.]