President Zuma must fire Bheki Cele
According to reports this morning the Board of Inquiry into the fitness of suspended National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele has recommended that President Zuma remove him from the job.
The Board has apparently found that Cele lacked the capacity to execute his official duties efficiently and was not fit to hold office. It was further found that his grave misconduct as national police commissioner and his apparent unlawful conduct further proved that he was unable to hold office. It is also reported that evidence suggested there was a questionable relationship between Cele and property tycoon Roux Shabangu.
The Democratic Alliance has since his appointment in 2009 maintained that Bheki Cele is not fit to occupy the position. The DA at the time specifically questioned his independence and impartiality, track-record, ethical conduct, and his skills and experience.
The DA again this year in its formal submission to the Boardargued that Cele was unfit to hold the post and must be fired as top cop, not only due to the police lease deal scandal, but also for his unacceptable conduct and questionable management of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The recommendation of the Board vindicates the DA's long held objection to appointing yet another career politician as police chief.
President Zuma must act swiftly and decisively upon the recommendations of the Board and sack Bheki Cele as top cop once and for all.
There is speculation, however, that former ANC Chief Whip and current Director-General of Labour, Adv Nkosinathi Nhleko is tipped to replace Cele. This does not bode well for the SAPS who have been virtually crippled at the top leadership level by two successive disgraced police commissioners.
The appointment of Adv Nhleko, another career politician with no experience in the police, would be disastrous. Acting Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has apparently fallen out of favour with President Zuma due to his growing and unexpected resistance to executive interference especially in relation to the entire Mdluli saga. Mkhwanazi has allegedly gone head-to-head with Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa about the man politicians reinstated, issuing a suspension letter to Mdluli and ignoring the lot of them.
The President must demonstrate that fighting crime is a priority for government. The President must show that politicians are not tampering with operational matters within the SAPS. The President must further show that he is serious about restoring the credibility of and public confidence in the SAPS by appointing a National Commissioner from the ranks of the police who possesses the requisite qualifications, experience in the police service and in its management, and a track-record of professionalism and excellence.
Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, May 25 2012
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