‘We Knew It All Along’: ActionSA’s Dereleen James Says Testimonies Confirm Long-Standing SAPS Concerns

The testimonies before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have not come as a surprise, says ActionSA’s Dereleen James.

“Some of us have known the state of state security for the longest time,” James said on the sidelines of the committee.

The Testimonies

On Wednesday, the committee heard from Lieutenant-General Francinah Vuma, who served as deputy national commissioner for Support Services and later Asset and Legal Management.

Vuma was suspended in 2022 and retired in January 2026.

She told the committee that the allegations formed part of a protected disclosure document she submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa, detailing alleged interference by former Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.

The Confirmation

James said the testimonies have been “basically confirmation of that which we knew.”

“It basically just amplified our voices, and it amplified what South Africans are having to experience at your police stations. It basically just showed us why we are not being served.”

The Reality Check

While the committee is expected to wrap up proceedings next Tuesday after Mkhwanazi and Masemola return, James offered a reality check for South Africans expecting arrests.

“I must say that I know South Africans are currently expecting to see people in orange overalls. I think if anything, South Africans want to see people locked up and behind bars. This committee is not geared to actually effect arrests.”

The Real Purpose

“This committee is here to look at reforms, to make submissions in terms of what we have heard in the various departments: how can we best address political infiltration? How can we best address the fact that service providers entangle themselves with SAPS top management and compromise the mandate of SAPS?”

“Those are the types of things that we’re going to have to look at; how we can strengthen policies within SAPS, all these state institutions.”

The IGI Question

On the possible appearance of Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel, James said he is unlikely to tell them anything different.

“What are they going to tell us differently from what we have heard?”

The Open Door

James stressed that the end of the Ad Hoc Committee’s work does not mean the end of oversight.

“We still have the portfolio committees. We still have all these clusters that deal with these issues. It doesn’t mean when the Ad Hoc Committee concludes on its work, there aren’t spaces open for anyone who still needs to come forward with tangible information.”

The Bottom Line

The testimonies have confirmed what some already knew. The problems in SAPS are deep, long-standing, and entrenched.

But as James reminds us, this committee is not about arrests. It’s about reform.

The question is whether the reforms will come fast enoughand whether they’ll be enough.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com