Top cop’s guilty secret out
The head of the Tshwane Metro Police, Steve Ngobeni, has a criminal record.
|||Pretoria - Head of the Tshwane Metro Police Department, Steve Ngobeni, has a criminal record emanating from an excessive speeding incident in Modimolle, Limpopo, in 2012.
Ngobeni was caught driving over the speed limit a few months after being appointed to the highest office of the city’s by-law enforcement unit.
The police chief, appointed in May 2012, was caught by traffic police in Modimolle, exceeding the speed limit on November 11, 2012, at 3.30pm.
Municipal manager Jason Ngobeni – no relation – was taking legal advice on Thursday before determining the way forward.
Ironically, the police chief had previously submitted a document to the mayoral committee highlighting the importance of the department maintaining high moral standards.
News that Ngobeni was caught speeding a few years ago – and had a criminal record – quickly filtered through the corridors at the departmental head offices this week.
City spokesman Selby Bokaba said the municipal manager became aware of the allegations only this week.
Bokaba said Ngobeni (city manager) was seeking legal opinion with regards to tabling the matter before the council, the highest decision making body in the metro.
The city’s top cop was charged with breaking the Traffic Road Act and found guilty of exceeding the speed limit. He pleaded guilty and received a fine of R3 000.
Apparently the police chief did not disclose the crime and subsequent criminal record to his employer, the City of Tshwane, via his immediate boss and head of administration, Ngobeni.
His staff members, talking on condition that their identities not be revealed, questioned how Ngobeni could be allowed to discharge the mandate of the metro police when he had a skeleton in his closet. They cast aspersions on Ngobeni’s moral authority to execute the task of making sure the driving public comply with the road rules, while he too had been caught on the wrong side of the law.
But Bokaba said the municipal manager was not aware of Ngobeni’s subordinates questioning his credibility and integrity after they learnt of the criminal record.
Bokaba said the city manager became aware of the chief’s conviction only this week but had not yet been formally approached by anyone to act on the matter.
“Because the city manager became aware of the allegations just a few days ago, he is only now looking into them, in his capacity as the accounting officer.
“He is taking advice with regard to tabling it before the council, the authority that can resolve to investigate and/or suspend a senior manager who reports directly to the municipal manager as the accounting officer. This applies to issues of contravention of speeding offences and by-laws in general.”
The SA Municipal Workers Union was divided on whether or not to write to the city manager asking for action to be taken against the police chief, the Pretoria News learnt after seeing a draft copy of a letter to that effect.
In June 2012, the police chief authored and submitted to the mayoral committee a memorandum, raising concern about the metro police officers with criminal records and without qualifications.
The essence of the document put an emphasis on the importance of the metro police to maintain a high moral ground.
The report called for the redeployment of metro cops without proper qualifications as security guards. In the report, Ngobeni stressed at the time that the guards may not have a criminal record.
He further wrote: “Alternatives could be placing these members as traffic wardens, administrative officers, licensing officers, messengers or general workers.”
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za
Pretoria News