‘They are trying to remove her so that they can put a person who will be soft on criminals.’
MIDDELBURG – Mpumalanga residents believe that attempts to remove the province’s top cop, Dephney Manamela, will do more harm than good.
The provincial SAPS commissioner was given until Thursday, May 23, to provide reasons why she should not be suspended by the national police commissioner amid an enquiry into allegations of misconduct and corruption.
In what is believed to be a smear campaign against Manamela, scores of community members, mostly women, from Middelburg, marched to the Middelburg police station on Tuesday, May 21, to voice their dissatisfaction about the intention to suspend her.
“I believe this is just to frustrate the hard-working Manamela because criminals working with corrupt members of SAPS are having a really hard time with her in that position,” a protester told Highveld Chronicle. “They are trying to remove her so that they can put a person who will be soft on criminals.”
Gugulethu Mahlangu, the march convener, told the paper the community is convinced of Manamela’s dedication and effectiveness.
“Just before her appointment in 2021, cash-in-transit heists were prevalent in this province. Shortly after her appointment, these types of crimes were reduced. We have seen her working hard to reduce all sorts of crimes including illegal mining, card scamming activities, and border crimes,” she said. “With all her hard work, there have been more than two attempts to assassinate her by senior police management and politicians. She is being abused for advocating for women in high positions because she is a woman.”
Mahlangu also criticised the use of Facebook to push an anti-Manamela campaign.
“Some Facebook armchair critics, purporting to be genuine media, have labelled us a rented crowd defending Manamela,” she said. “We are not going to stoop that low responding to such allegations by failed media projects existing only on Facebook, and being used to tarnish the image of Manamela in exchange for a tender to supply bread and food to prisoners in Limpopo. We are not going to give Facebook writers the pleasure of seeking validation.”
A Mpumalanga provincial radio station aired the views of its listeners about Manamela’s alleged suspension on Thursday, May 23. “This is wrong. It is clear she is not wanted for doing her job,” said one listener. “We are watching this process with keen interest. However, we must say we will not allow crooked politicians to abuse and remove Mme Manamela for doing her job.”
A source within SAPS said Manamela’s efforts to fight crime have earned her enemies within the police force.
“Her persistent efforts have resulted in operations that disrupt the illicit trade happening via the N4 corridor from Mozambique,” said the source, who remained anonymous. “The infiltration of guns and drugs into the country via the Maputo corridor is particularly what Manamela is being targeted for this time around.”
Sipho Nkambule, POPCRU provincial secretary, said in the radio interview that Manamela’s removal could potentially create factions and lead to instability within the police.
“Any indication of any suspension or removal of a leader or manager does cause apathy among the members because the police is an institution where members must be guided through command and control. Now you no longer know who to listen to, because you hear that somebody has been suspended or will be suspended so you no longer know whether to take instructions from that person,” he said.
Questions were sent to the national SAPS spokesperson, but no response was received by the time of going to print.
