JOHANNESBURG - The South African Police Union (SAPU) says the criminal charges against suspended National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola were politically motivated and placed national security at risk.
The union says it maintained from the outset that the charges against Masemola would not stand.
Speaking on the matter, SAPU spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale said the union felt vindicated following the formal withdrawal of the charges.
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“We are happy because we have been vindicated as SAPU from the onset,” Thobakgale said.
He said the union had previously questioned the basis of the case against Masemola and believed the charges would ultimately fail.
However, Thobakgale said the withdrawal of the charges raises broader questions about why the suspended commissioner was prosecuted in the first place.
“What is it that they wanted to achieve? That still remains to be a question that still needs to be answered,” he said.
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SAPU also questioned the circumstances surrounding the decision to bring Masemola before court, arguing that the case had implications beyond the suspended commissioner himself.
“From our perspective, we are saying that him being brought to court in this manner on charges that were really not existing, it really put a risk to national security,” Thobakgale said.