National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole has confirmed that he has made his submissions to President Cyril Ramaphosa on why he should not be suspended.
NATIONAL Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole has confirmed that he has made his submissions to President Cyril Ramaphosa on why he should not be suspended.
Sitole was given a notice of suspension by Ramaphosa recently and the president asked him to make submissions in this regard.
This comes after the president said the national commissioner had failed to co-operate with an investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
This relates to the procurement of the “grabber” that was used at the ANC’s conference in 2017 in Nasrec.
Ramaphosa had said he would set up a board of inquiry to investigate Sitole.
Sitole said he has made his submissions to Ramaphosa about the notice of intention to suspend him.
However, he would not divulge what is contained in the submission he made to the head of state.
“I don’t have to tell you whether I should be suspended or not because I must tell the president. I will therefore reserve it on that part. Yes, I have submitted my representation to the president,” said Sitole.
The national commissioner has been at loggerheads with his boss, Police Minister Bheki Cele.
The tensions between the two have been said, by opposition parties, to be at the centre of divisions in the SAPS.
The opposition parties said the police have not been working effectively because of the tensions between the administrative head and political head.
The president has not yet indicated what would happen to Sitole after he confirmed that he sent a notice to suspend him.
– POLITICAL BUREAU
