Bheki Cele has been appointed national police commissioner, despite vehement objections from political parties earlier this week.
President Jacob Zuma announced on Wednesday that Cele, who is the minister for transport and community safety in KwaZulu-Natal, will replace Jackie Selebi as the country’s top cop.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Tuesday objected to Cele’s impending appointment and called on government to depoliticise the police force.
”’The IFP had hoped that the ruling party would have opted not to place a political appointee at the helm of the SAPS [South African Police Service] again,” the party’s safety and security spokesperson Velaphi Ndlovu said in a press statement.
”We were hopeful that government would do the right thing by appointing a career policeman or women with a proven track record within the SAPS as South Africa’s new police chief.
”If Cele is appointed tomorrow [Wednesday], government will be sending out a clear message to the people of South Africa that they are more interested in giving top jobs to ANC comrades and less concerned with tackling crime head-on.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) called for Zuma to appoint ‘a candidate that has the requisite experience and expertise in safety and security matters, is a leader, acts independently and has the right work skills and a history of ethical conductâ€.
DA spokesperson for community safety and liaison said Cele’s appointment would be based on his political links instead of his competence for the job.
‘The DA has major reservations about his appointment to this position since he has no experience as a police officer,†Mchunu told The Sowetan on Tuesday.
One of Zuma’s closest allies
Cele, who was actively involved in the fight against apartheid, is regarded as one of Zuma’s close allies. Born in 1952, he completed high school and obtained a diploma in teaching. He was instrumental in founding the National Education Union of South Africa, a predecessor of the South African Democratic Teachers Union.
In the 1980s, Cele fled to Angola and joined the ANC’s military wing, Umkhonto weSizwe. He was arrested on his return to South Africa by the security police and spent three years imprisoned on Robben Island.
On his release, he continued his activities with the African National Congress (ANC) and was entrusted to coordinate the organisation’s peace and security efforts.
He was elected onto the ANC’s provincial executive committee in KwaZulu-Natal in 1994, and chaired the safety and security portfolio committee. He was subsequently appointed as the chairperson of Chairpersons in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature. Since 2004 he has held the portfolio of provincial minister for transport, community safety and liaison.
— Source: http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/corp_info/organogram/b_cele.htm