Top female cop quits

2003-05-16 12:42

Cape Town - The most senior female police officer in the Western Cape, deputy commissioner Zelda Holtzman, has quit.

Holtzman, who has in the past clashed with Provincial Commissioner Lennit Max, said in a brief statement on Friday 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".

"I have come to a mutual agreement with the National Commissioner on this matter," she said in the statement, which referred further queries to the SA Police Service national office rather than the provincial one.

Holtzman, 41, has been with the police for eight years.

In March this year a departmental hearing dismissed complaints of sexual harassment and victimisation she had laid against Max.

At the same time police management asked her to give reasons why she should not be transferred or discharged from the service.

However she described the probe as "phony", and wrote to national Commissioner Jackie Selebi asking for an "independent and thorough" investigation.

Another senior police officer who made similar claims against Max reportedly resigned and has had psychological counselling.

Last year Selebi hauled Max and Holtzman over the coals after they were reportedly embroiled in a snubbing contest which saw them slamming office doors, boycotting each other's meetings and ignoring official orders.

Selebi's office said at the time that they had entered into a signed agreement to co-operate, and had undertaken to provide regular reports to Selebi.

National police spokesperson Superintendent Charmaine Muller said on Friday that the "mutual agreement" with Selebi that Holtzman mentioned in her resignation statement had been that she would go on early retirement.

Asked whether the friction with Max had played a role in Holtzman's decision, Muller said: "According to the statement that she drew up, definitely not...she made a choice that after eight years of service in the police, she wanted to move on."

She said Selebi was overseas, and not in a position to comment immediately.

Holtzman said in her statement that she remained "forever thankful" to all the communities she had worked with during her time with the police, particularly the community police forums and non-government organisations dealing with vulnerable people.

"I also want to express my gratitude and admiration to all our police officials serving our community so courageously every day.

"I now look forward to participating more fully in the development of civil society and in so doing contribute to the enhancement of our democracy."

- SAPA