THE DA has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove both national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole and Police Minister Bheki Cele in the wake of the latter requesting the president to look into Sitole’s fitness to hold office.
Cele’s request to Ramaphosa followed a ruling by the Pretoria High Court last week to dismiss Sitole’s application for leave to appeal a decision of the same court that it had handed down in January.
The court had found that Sitole and his two deputies breached their duties by not providing and declassifying documents for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) to investigate allegations of fraud and corruption.
Speaking to Independent Media DA MP and spokesperson on police Andrew Whitfield said that both Sitole, in terms of the judgment that was handed down last week and Cele for a number issues including the mishandling of the crime statistics and other matters, should be removed by Ramaphosa.
I believe strongly that President Ramaphosa should look more closely into his own minister who himself has got many clouds hanging over his head and questions to answer,” Whitfield said.
He said that Cele himself was confused whether he was a minister or police commissioner claiming that this was the source of conflict in the high ranks of the SAPS.
Whitfield added that Cele, having been national police commissioner for “a very short period of time”, now could not stay in his own lane as police minister.
Zandile Majozi, IFP MP and the party’s spokesperson on police, said that the portfolio committee had not received any report as yet of any misconduct on Sitole’s part.
“We will wait for the report to come to the committee, discuss it and then we will take a proper decision then. Whatever letter is written by the minister, we will definitely know about it and what is entailed in the letter so that we are then able to discuss it and have a decision on what we should then do as a committee.
“For now, because it’s his prerogative as a minister to write to the president, he can do so but he has to come to the portfolio committee and report to it as well,” Majozi said.
In other news – Actress Phindile Gwala Reflects on Her Childhood
Actress and TV host Phindile Gwala has reflected on her childhood. In celebration of her strength and on International Women’s Day, she looked back and remembered how she was ridiculed and insulted by fellow pupils.
She said at some point she was called a rabbit, but this did not affect her confidence. She then encouraged women not to allow negative people to steal their light. Learn more
Source: IOL
