“Action Society and I will be laying four charges and complaints against Bheki Cele and the members of the South African Police Service who spinelessly removed me from yesterday’s community meeting held in Gugulethu,” said Ian Cameron, director of community safety at Action Society.
The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, yesterday shouted at Cameron to shut up and sit down after the Minister failed to answer questions about his inability to fulfil his constitutional mandate to protect South Africans against crime. Survivors and families of victims of gender-based violence mandated Action Society to speak on their behalf during the meeting. Police members then forcibly removed Cameron from the meeting.
Action Society will lodge a complaint with the Public Protector in terms of the Executive Members’ Ethics Bill and its Code of Conduct for Bheki Cele’s disgraceful conduct, failure to act in good faith and compromising the credibility and integrity of his office.
Secondly, Action Society will submit a complaint with the Office of the Registrar of Members’ Interests at Parliament for Bheki Cele’s breaches of parliament’s code of conduct in his capacity as a member of the legislator.
“We will lodge a third complaint with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to investigate the misconduct by the members of the SAPS when they forcefully removed me from the meeting and wrongfully deprived me of my right to liberty and bodily integrity,” said Cameron. “Finally, I will lodge a criminal complaint against Bheki Cele and the SAPS members who physically accosted me.”
Action Society will continue to advocate and fight for the thousands of South Africans who are victims of Bheki Cele’s failures as the Minister of Police.
We encourage like-minded South Africans to support our petition to remove Cele from office at this link.
