Cape police chief quits

2003-05-26 09:22

Cape Town - The most senior police officer in the Western Cape, provincial police commissioner Lennit Max has resigned amid murmurs of discontent in the police hierarchy in the province, the Cape Times reported on Monday.

Max is the second high-ranking Western Cape police officer to step down this month.

Earlier this month the most senior female police officer in the province, deputy commissioner Zelda Holtzman quit.

Holtzman, who had in the past clashed with Max, said in a brief statement that she had served the police to the best of her ability.

She had now come to a point "where I want to move on and serve my country and our communities in a different way".

The resignations of Max and Holtzman are a blow to provincial police structures as they were the highest profile black police officers in the Western Cape.

Max's resignation has yet to be made public officially, but the newspaper said it was in possession of a statement dated May 23 in which Max said:

"After serving the South African police Service for almost 24 years in various capacities, I have decided to pursue other opportunities, which I was obliged to decline in the past as a result of my position."

Director Sally de Beer, spokesperson in the office of National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, declined to comment on Monday on the resignation.

She said Max was scheduled to hold a media briefing in Cape Town at 09:00.

- SAPA