JOHANNESBURG, 24 November (IRIN) - Allegations of links between South Africa's top cop and organised crime
have prompted calls for an independent inquiry to restore "shaken" public confidence in the police services.For the past few days, South African media have been flooded with reports about Jackie
Selebi, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, and his relationship with Glen Agliotti, who is alleged to have links with the underworld and was arrested last week in connection
with the murder of controversial businessman Brett Kebble. Selebi had earlier publicly declared that he and Agliotti were friends.The allegations have stirred heated debate on radio talk shows and
readers have penned furious letters to newspapers. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa is "among the most crime-ridden and crime-concerned societies in the world".
The public outcry led religious leaders to seek a meeting with President Thabo Mbeki this week to get to the bottom of the situation.However, the government has thrown its weight behind Selebi and
settled for an intelligence probe into leaks to the media of details of the investigation into the murder of Kebble, who reportedly had financial links to the Youth League of the ruling African
National Congress."The reports have seriously damaged the public's confidence in the national commissioner, and could damage South Africa's image," said Johan Burger, head of the crime and justice
programme at the Institute for Security Studies, a Pretoria-based think-tank. "It should be clear that the police and its leadership must be beyond reproach, and the public has every right to expect
them to lead by example in the fight against crime."He said the government should have called for a judicial inquiry "to determine to what extent, if any, Selebi's relationship with Agliotti may
have compromised his performance as head of the police; and Selebi himself could, in the public interest and also to restore trust in the police, request the president to allow him temporary leave
until all suspicion against him is removed".The South African chapter of Transparency International described the allegations as "worrisome", and has also called for an independent inquiry. "The
inquiry need not be a judicial one, but it should be held either to vindicate Selebi or establish the charges made against him," said Hassan Lorgat, chair of the anti-corruption watchdog.Burger said
it was critical that South Africa address any lack of public confidence in the police, as "crime is our biggest threat and it has a huge impact on our economy and the life of ordinary South Africans".
The level of crime, and especially violent crime, is a matter of serious concern in the country.In the World Bank's most recent Investment Climate Survey, 30 percent of enterprises in South Africa
rated crime as a major or very severe constraint to investment, making it one of the four most frequently mentioned concerns.There is also some evidence that high volumes of crime in South Africa
contribute to a general perception of government instability, according to a paper by the Harvard University's Centre for International Development.jk/oa/he
