Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that the country’s intelligence agency deliberately withheld reports that could have aided the SAPS tackle the violence that stemmed from last year’s civil unrest.
SOUTH Africa’s intelligence agency deliberately withheld reports that could have helped the SAPS tackle the violence that broke out during last year’s unrest, says Police Minister Bheki Cele.
“It was clear that something was coming. So preparations would have helped,” he said.
Cele was responding to questions during the second leg of the July unrest hearings, held by the SA Human Rights Commission in Sandton, Gauteng.
When asked what could have caused the unrest, Cele maintained that he had no power to conduct surveillance, or any intelligence on what could have led to the violence and looting that gripped parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
He maintained, however, that his visit to former president Jacob Zuma in Nkandla was to find solutions to resolve the palpable tensions that were evident.
Cele highlighted that Zuma’s arrest contributed to the chaos and violence.
He also used the hearings to outline his frustration about bureaucratic red tape that exists around administrative issues concerning the SAPS, particularly where social media surveillance is concerned.
He confirmed that there was several hundred million rand’s worth of equipment that police could use to track social media, but this was currently not in use.
“There is an issue in that division (intelligence). There is several hundred million rand’s worth of equipment that has not been utilised… There is a law here that says the minister of police must request those gadgets (and to access them must consult the minister of justice). The minister of justice must consult the minister of defence and communication before that equipment is used by the police and crime intelligence,” he said, adding this has been the case for the last two years, and the equipment was just sitting there collecting dust.
“It’s a big frustration for me. I’m told it can be used to crack social media and other things, but this administrative thing is blocking it,” he said.
Earlier, evidence leader advocate Lloyd Lotz quizzed Cele about his role in the SA Police Service.
Cele, in turn, explained his role as a minister to be legislated and prescribed.
He also added that as part of their mandate, ministers in the SAPS are responsible for broadening the work of the police as a cluster.
Lotz asked the minister what directive role he would play in operations, to which Cele responded: “When police have operations, sometimes I am physically there and not leading those operations.”
– Political Bureau
