Johannesburg - The newly appointed acting head of the City of Joburg’s Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS), Sinaye Nxumalo, said she would polish the image of the anti-corruption unit and depoliticise it.
Nxumalo, who is no stranger to leading investigations in the City of Joburg, told The Star that she was embarking on a clean-up strategy at GFIS.
This included getting rid of some illegal spying practices at the unit and ensuring that the unit was not used to deal with certain politicians.
There were mixed views about the city’s GFIS, with some political parties saying that the unit was not necessary because there were already the SAPS and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), who could conduct investigations.
The unit had also come under fire over reports that it possessed hi-tech spy equipment that was being used by ANC members and other politicians.
Nxumalo said that the GFIS had become notorious under the DA administration for being used as a tool to target officials and some councillors who were on the radar of the DA-led administration, but she said that there were moves to ensure that the mandate of the anti-corruption unit was more compliant with the law and the human rights of all individuals being investigated.
“We will be cracking the whip on corrupt activities, and I bring my experience in investigations, which means that the investigations that I do are always results-oriented, and we will take criminal action or civil action where necessary,” she said.
According to Nxumalo, the GFIS would now work hand-in-hand with the SAPS and other law-enforcement officials to ensure that those found guilty of having broken the law would meet the long arm of justice.
She said that it was important to have a separation of powers that would exclude politicians from interfering in the work of the investigation unit.
“GFIS is not supposed to be an extension of a political party, and therefore, our investigation should always be objective and non-partisan.”
“The unit should also be solving issues that are critical to residents, such as the issue of high-jacking buildings,” Nxumalo said.
The DA in the City of Joburg had complained that Nxumalo had been the subject of a GFIS investigation herself and, therefore, said her appointment was a contradiction.
But Nxumalo denied that she had been subject to such a legal investigation. She said that she had never been found guilty of any act of misconduct.
Nxumalo had lodged a complaint against the former mayor Mpho Phalatse with both the Speaker and the mayor’s office. The complaint was likely to end up with the Ethics Committee which would then take the matter forward.
The DA-led administration faced more accusations concerning illegal investigations carried out by the GFIS.
The Star