Mpumalanga provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Daphney Manamela, who allegedly claimed that she would drop a “bombshell” and there would be “bloodshed” on the day she goes down, has been served with a suspension notice pending the outcome of the board of inquiry.
Sunday World can today reveal that national police commissioner General Fanie Masemola, slapped Manamela with seven charges and a notice to suspend her on Thursday, May 16.
Manamela was initially served with a charge sheet and a notice to appear before a board of inquiry in October last year, but took the matter to court, challenging the process and her suspension.
The Pretoria High Court dismissed her case with costs on April 5 of this year.
The charges against Manamela, as seen by Sunday World, include allegations that she authorised the installation of two CCTV cameras in her office, which cost the SAPS R92 035.21 without following proper procurement regulations.
Holding a bombshell
According to the charge sheet, Manamela also used vulgar language against colleagues, one of whom she reportedly told to “jou m&*@d (sic)” and another to “f&#@k**” and “voetsek”.
According to the charge sheet, Manamela informed the provincial leadership of police unions during a meeting that she was “holding a bombshell” and further stated: “I want to assure you, the day I go down as PC (provincial commissioner) of Mpumalanga, there will be bloodshed in Mpumalanga.”
She also allegedly attempted to extort a gift from a colleague who just got a transfer from Mpumalanga to Gauteng by asking her to buy her designer shoes that were “red or gold”, and after she was told that those shoes couldn’t be found, she cancelled the transfer.
Manamela was also charged with abusing a state vehicle to escort her from her office in Mbombela to her home in Middelburg, a 379km return trip without authorisation.
In the letter, Masemola gave Manamela five days to give reasons why she should not be suspended, but Sunday World can confirm that the provincial commissioner was at work on Friday and even attended an Independent Electoral Commission meeting to check the province’s readiness for the elections this week.
Victimised for targeting criminals
Three people sympathetic to Manamela claim she was being victimised for her crackdown on criminal cartels operating in the province.
One said that some of the charges against Manamela were “stupid and childish”.
“How do you charge her for having an escort team that was officially assigned to her?” one asked.
Another one claims Manamela’s sin was that she was put under pressure to arrest Mpumalanga MEC for local government, Mandla Msibi, on trumped-up charges but refused.
Msibi could not be reached for comment.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that Manamela was served with a notice of suspension.
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