Gauteng ANC provincial coordinator Hope Papo said they expected Premier Panyaza Lesufi to cooperate with the probe into the alleged criminal syndicate that KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said was operating in Gauteng.
Papo made the remarks in a media briefing on Monday. The ANC outlined the outcomes of the Lekgotla meeting it held recently.
In an explosive media briefing two weeks ago, Mkhwanazi said their investigation has revealed that there are drug cartels operating in the Gauteng province and that they are being protected by some law enforcement officials and some politicians.
Premier to cooperate
“The premier has to cooperate, but I cannot answer for the premier. But we expect the premier to cooperate because the community safety department is in the office of the premier. But we cannot speak on behalf of the government,” Papo said.
He said the province has been closing some drug labs and factories long before Mkhwanazi made the allegations in his press briefing.
Papo said if there were more drug factories, the province police needed to act and ensure that those drug factories are closed. He added that those who are involved in those factories must be arrested, charged, and sentenced to jail.
“We actually discussed at our Lekgotla the issue of crime and some drugs in our province. And we said that’s an area the province, through the community safety department and law enforcement agencies, must actually contribute to.”
Judicial inquiry
He said the party also supports the establishment of the judicial inquiry by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the claims by Mkhwanazi.
Ramaphosa said the commission, which will look into the matters raised by Mkhwanazi, should report back to him in three months and six months. This is a move that the ANC says it welcomes from the president.
He said those found to be ANC members who have been helping the so-called cartels, the law should take its course on them.
“Any leader who’s associated with criminality, the law must take its course. They are clearly not sent by the ANC or any government department to do that.
“We will actually have to know because sometimes there’s a confusion of leaders and officials.”
He said his view was that those helping the syndicate in the province are in the police, and some are leaders.
Organised crime
“Those syndicates must actually be hunted; they must be close. You know syndicate investigations take a lot of determination. You have to have intelligence that is proper.
“They use a lot of money to buy people. Sometimes you think people are working with you to investigate. But they are not because they are on the payroll, the secret payroll of criminals.
“We formally fully support the position taken by our president and our national working committee. So that we don’t actually end up losing cases because of rushing. Because we are dealing with organised crime, as General Mkwanazi said, and organised criminality hides its tracks.”
