INLSA
Eugene Nzama head of Durban metro policePicture: S’bonelo Ngcobo
Durban’s top metro policeman has had bodyguards at his side for the past year after apparently receiving death threats from members of the taxi industry.
Metro police sources, who asked not be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said Eugene Nzama was the “first ever” metro police head to be assigned security and that the nature of the alleged threats was not known.
Nzama was being guarded by a total of eight metro police officers: two from the warrants section, two from the former metro police crime prevention unit which was shut down in 2010, two members from the public transport section, one constable and one metro police captain.
“What is bizarre about Nzama’s security is that no security assessment was done by the relevant state security personnel. An instruction came from him that the VIP protection escort by metro police should be closed because it is not a function of the metro police, but at the same time he enjoys VIP protection by the metro police,” a source said.
SA Municipal Workers’ Union spokesman Jaycee Ncanana said Nzama has been seen with “bodyguards” but he did not recall hearing that Nzama’s life was under threat.
“This is an abuse of municipal funds. A policeman is supposed to be the protector, not the one receiving protection. The process of Nzama acquiring security was not done openly because there are other senior managers in the same grade as him but they do not have bodyguards,” he claimed.
Ncanana said the issue of Nzama’s bodyguards was never raised during meetings of the local labour forum and it was not clear how his bodyguards were being paid, because posts for Nzama’s security guards were not on the city’s organogram.
Some metro police members had lodged a complaint with safety and security deputy city manager Bheki Mkhize, alleging that Nzama’s bodyguards were members of the metro police and were given municipal vehicles to use 24 hours a day.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport Alliance spokesman Bafana Mhlongo denied that members of the taxi industry had threatened Nzama.
“Nzama is a very arrogant man but we have never threatened him. The fact is that members of the taxi industry have a very bad relationship with the metro police because they (metro police) only target taxis during roadblocks and harass the drivers,” he said.
Mhlongo said the alliance had proposed that metro police should submit a list of summonses and outstanding warrants of arrest to the taxi associations and they would then track down the drivers and hand them over to police.
“But Nzama did not want to hear our suggestions. Instead he would boast that he was trained in the handling of firearms and is a marksman,” he said.
Responding to questions sent by The Mercury, municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said: “Please note that the municipality does not discuss matters pertaining to security of councillors and staff in public.”
Mkhize did not respond to questions sent by The Mercury and Nzama could not be reached for comment.
