ActionSA welcomes the judgement against VIP Protection Policy

ActionSA

Johannesburg — ActionSA in Johannesburg noted the High Court Judgement on the VIP Protection Policy, which declared the policy as unlawful.

In a statement, ActionSA said it was against the policy from the onset and voted against it in council. The party said there was already a provision that allowed public representatives to apply for necessary protection if they faced threats, and believed it was sufficient.

“We argued that the resources intended for the VIP Protection should be redirected towards service delivery. However, we understood that the personnel would come from the JMPD pool,” ActionSA Chief Whip in Johannesburg, Zark Lebatlang said.

Lebatlang said the security detail for Councillor Nobuhle Mthembu, City of Johannesburg Council Speaker, was nowhere near eligible for the VIP Protection Policy.

“ActionSA believes that public representatives must be accessible to the very community that has voted them into power, rather than creating a barrier between them and the community,” Lebatlang added.

ActionSA said that it would utilise its position in the Legislature to ensure that the policy is consistent with teh Act and the ministerial determinations.

“We will also ensure that any decision to enhance a particular municipal councillor’s personal protection allowance is consistent with the Act and the ministerial determinations, as it was directed by the court,” it added.

ActionSA urges the DA to cease their falsehoods and propaganda against our party, and instead collaborate with Council Speaker, Cllr Nobuhle Mthembu, in her endeavour to rectify the wrongs of the past.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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