XON says there is no conflict of interest for Phiyega

Newly appointed national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega does not have a conflict of interests in relation to IT company XON, it said on Saturday.

"Riah Phiyega had no role in SAPS prior to her appointment, thus no conflict existed then, and no conflict exists now given the fact that she instructed Kapela to sell her share…," XON chief executive Carel Coetzee said.

Phiyega was the director and shareholder in Kapela Capital, which owns a 40% stake in XON, which held a contract to supply IT equipment to the SAPS.

"We have been a supplier to several government departments, including SAPS, through State Information Technology Agency (Sita) contracts since 2003," Coetzee said in a statement.

The company's response came after a report on Friday that Phiyega's link with the company had raised concerns.

All the best
ITWeb reported these concerns were over a potential conflict of interest, as the link was not disclosed to a Parliamentary committee.

On June 12, however, Phiyega resigned her positions at Kapela and asked the company to sell her shares.

Sita, rather than the SAPS, awarded the police contract to XON in accordance with government policy.

Coetzee said this information was freely available on the SITA website.

Phiyega was appointed South Africa's first woman police commissioner earlier in June.

XON wished Phiyega "all the best" in her new role as national police commissioner. – Sapa