Question NW2544 to the Minister of Police
25 November 2016 - NW2544
Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Police
(1)(a) What are the names of each former provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) since he assumed office, (b) on which dates was each specified person (i) appointed and (ii) replaced, (c) what was the status of each person’s employment contract at the time of their replacement and (d) on what statutory grounds did he replace the persons who were still serving within their minimum seven-year terms; (2) whether he obtained the concurrence of the Minister of Finance, Mr P J Gordhan, on the remuneration of the new provincial heads of the DPCI in accordance with section 17CA (8)(b) of the SA Police Service Act, Act 68 of 1995, as amended; if not, why not; if so, was the concurrence of the Minister of Finance obtained in writing in each case?
Reply:
1. Provincial heads of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) were appointed for the first time by the Minister of Police in accordance with section 17CA(6) of the South African Police Services Act 68 of 1995 (“SAPS Act”) in 2016. There are no former provincial heads that were appointed in terms of section 17CA(6) before the appointments were made in 2016.
2. The Minister of Finance, Mr P J Gordhan is a member of the Cabinet. It follows that the appointments and remuneration of the provincial heads of the DPCI were presented before the Cabinet for concurrence. Cabinet Memorandum, which included the remuneration scale of the provincial heads was distributed to all Cabinet Ministers and no objection was received from the Minister of Finance on the remuneration scales. The Cabinet (with the Minister of Finance included) concurred with the appointments and the remuneration scales of the provincial heads.
It must be noted that the South African Police Services Act 68 of 1995 (SAPS Act), as amended, does not prescribe how concurrence should be obtained and there is no provision in the Act that requires concurrence of the Minister of Finance to be writing in each case.