Ongoing pressure from the DA has finally resulted in the long-awaited appointment of the Northern Cape Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Koliswa Otola.
Since Lt Gen Risimati Shivuri retired in 2019, the DA continuously lobbied for this position to be filled, as the leaderless South African Police Service (SAPS) in the province grew more ill-equipped, un-capacitated and poorly resourced to fight crime.
Given the ongoing rise in crime in the province, Otola’s appointment is more than two years overdue. We hope that Otola’s appointment will finally bring about some kind of stability in the provincial police service, that is already on its knees under the national leadership of Police Minister Bheki Cele.
The DA will request for Otola, who has been acting in this position since May, to brief the Portfolio Committee on Safety with regards to her turnaround strategy for SAPS in the province, as soon as the Provincial Legislature reconvenes.
It is high time that the legislature meets face to face with Otola so that we can finally hold the Police Commissioner accountable for safety in the province.