DURBAN - THE South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will, on Tuesday, hear testimonies from the SAPS national commission Khehla Sitole and the KwaZulu-Natal commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who have come under heavy scrutiny during the commission's inquiry into the July unrest.
The commission has, over the course of the last two weeks, heard testimonies from various state officials, including Defence Minister Thandi Modise, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala and former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
Mapisa-Nqakula told the commission that Mkhwanazi was uncooperative during the unrest and was reluctant to share information with her colleagues and that his “immaturity” and “ego” was a hindrance.
National commissioner Sitole will take the stand virtually for the second time, as he is still in Turkey for an Interpol conference. Last Monday, Sitole told the inquiry that while he acknowledged that the police did not have enough members to respond to the July unrest, the service was in the process of rebuilding.
The commissioner said the events of July were planned and had an unpredicted modus operandi, adding that public order police (POP) units were understaffed by about 7 000 members.
Various witnesses and other business entities who testified before the commission had explained how KZN police left them for dead when the riots turned violent, with a decorated academic saying that the police had been split because of a faction inside the ANC.
Professor Paulus Zulu, from the UKZN and former chairperson of the SABC board, said on Monday that during the height of the unrest, he saw police officers in the Pinetown area assisting traffic that consisted of cars filled with looted goods.
In Phoenix, victims of violence told the commission that Indian police officers saw them getting beat up by groups of vigilante’s but did nothing to stop it.
Melanie Veness, CEO for the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Commerce, told the panel that she heard police were asked to step down during the riots and that some politicians supported the looting and mass scaled destruction that ensued.
Two witnesses claimed to have contacted premier Zikalala for help during the unrest, who refused to pick up their calls or answer their messages.
The premier testified that police were outnumbered and under-resourced because of poor resource allocation management.
Zikalala said the provincial government had relied on social media and mainstream media for information about the unrest. He maintained that should another episode of the unrest breakout, the police will be ready to handle it.
Political Bureau