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Bheki Cele has to hang up his hat-Andre Smit
Durban – Bheki Cele got his marching orders.
He will no longer wear the hat of police minister after failing to make it onto the list of ANC members who will return to Parliament, hampering his chances of retaining the portfolio.
Several organisations have welcomed his departure, which comes after years of calls from various quarters for him to be sacked as minister of police.
“It is time to appoint someone who knows what they are doing,” said AfriForum’s community safety spokesperson, Jacques Broodryk.
The civil society organisation has repeatedly called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack Cele, saying he lacked the skills and temperament for the job and had failed to curb crime.
“Cele’s political influence on the South African Police Service over the last few years has drastically reduced the police’s crime-fighting capacity, morale among police officers, and also the general management of the entire service has deteriorated extremely along with crime statistics.” said Broodryk.
The DA has previously also campaigned calling for Cele’s sacking, and 33,000 people have signed their petition demanding that he be fired. At the time, DA leader John Steenhuisen described Cele as a “danger to society” and said his failures had cost the lives, dignity and safety of many South Africans.
Cele was previously the MEC for transport, safety and security in KZN.
He then became the National Police Commissioner and then the Minister of Police. He was previously linked to the Fifa 2010 accommodation tender scandal, in which he reportedly signed off on a tender worth R47 million.
He was also implicated in a R1.6 billion police hiring scandal involving businessman Roux Shabangu. Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found at the time that Cele’s actions were “improper and illegal”.
In the past, the now outgoing police minister made headlines when he verbally attacked anti-crime activist Ian Cameron at a community meeting in Gugulethu. This after Cameron raised several troubling issues. Instead of addressing the issues, Cele became enraged, shouting to Cameron “shut up” and “get out”.
Violence monitor Mary de Haas said Cele was unfit to hold the position.
De Haas said that during his tenure, Cele militarized police, unlawfully interfered in operational matters and was implicated in a number of crimes.
“He created a whole bunch of new top jobs and generals and brigadiers where none existed.
“So he basically changed the structure of policing and it costs us about a billion rand a year because even if those people are short-lived in those positions, they retire on huge pensions,” de Haas said.
“It costs the taxpayers a fortune at the expense of proper boots-on-the-ground policing. That management is top-heavy and it’s completely unnecessary.”
Speaking to the media about his departure this week, Cele said everything that started must end and that he is going home to spend time with his family.
He said he was grateful to the people of South Africa, and that he “never dreamed that I would be a minister”.
Once he’s dubbed the “Teflon man” because none of the allegations against him would hold, it looks like Cele will leave the civil service with his stomach in and chest out.
source:Bheki Cele Must Hang His Hat – People’s Power News (volkskrag.co.za)
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