SAPS must clean up its recruitment system: Mkhwanazi
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has questioned whether some officers had links to gangs before joining the SAPS.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has called for a thorough overhaul of the South African Police Service's (SAPS) recruitment system to tackle gang violence. During a recent appearance before Parliament's Police Committee Summit on gang violence, Mkhwanazi posed a critical question: could certain officers, potentially including senior officials, have connections to gangs prior to joining the force?
He emphasized the urgent need for enhanced security measures to ensure that individuals with such backgrounds are not allowed to advance within the police ranks. Mkhwanazi stated, "We need to scrutinize the officers we employ in these law enforcement agencies. Are we recruiting gangsters? We may have generals in the police force who grew up as gang members before becoming police officers, rising through the ranks and commanding respect, while concealing their criminal pasts."
He questioned the effectiveness of current security checks and urged for measures to prevent such individuals from infiltrating positions of authority within the police service.
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