When good cops break their silence it shows communities that professionalism still has a home in the South African Police Service.
South Africans have every reason to be angry about police corruption. The Madlanga Commission has heard evidence about drug cartels with political cover, a R360 million tender scam, kidnappings and contract killings. An informer was murdered. It is easy to say that the entire system is rotten. This is also untrue.
Two professionals help explain this: senior KwaZulu-Natal Hawks officer Carl Sander and KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Sander chose the witness stand rather than the safety of silence. Under oath he described how organized crime tried to take over parts of policing and how honest investigators resisted. That option was not theatre. This was the work of a career detective who wanted to put the facts on record and take the personal risk that came with it. This is disciplined, systematic policing in the workplace.
Mkhwanazi has become a reference point for stable order. He supports clean investigations, takes tough operational decisions and sends a clear message to the ranks and communities: work, follow the law, expect consequences when you don't. In a period of hazing and mixed signals, consistent command integrity protects investigators, stabilizes morale and shows communities that professionalism still has a home in the South African Police Service.
Three…