Vearey cites contempt in safety failure

FORMER provincial head of detectives Jeremy Vearey has approached the High Court again over Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile’s failure to properly implement a court order to reinstate his security detail.

In the application, Vearey wants Patekile to be found guilty of contempt of the court order and be imprisoned for 30 days, suspended on condition that he fully complies with the order with immediate effect.

Vearey initially approached the Western Cape High Court on July 5 to have his security detail reinstated.

On July 15, the court ordered that National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole and Patekile assign Vearey two members of the Tactical Response Team who were vetted and appraised with security threats against him, while when required to attend court for testifying and for necessary travelling, four members be provided.

After the court order, Vearey said one of the two bodyguards that were deployed with an unmarked vehicle informed him that Sitole and a Brigadier Jojo had instructed them that only two members may be deployed and that he was not allowed to be transported in a police vehicle. The bodyguard allegedly revealed that they had no mandate to provide static protection at his residence. Vearey said Patekile’s resistance to implementing the court order to which they agreed violated his rights, and he was compelled to hide with his family in a house paid for by community members and friends.

“There is a real and confirmed threat to my life, as alluded to in an application before Honourable Judge Saldanha. There is a reasonable apprehension that my life will be in danger if my protection is not reinstated by the third respondent (Patekile),” he said.

In his affidavit, Vearey said he was not financially able to engage the services of private security as he was unfairly dismissed and his salary stopped.

The police had previously declined to comment, saying issues of security or guard duties for certain individuals as a result of an identified threat were best not discussed in the public domain.

They said they recommended that affected parties raise concerns about their safety and security with the relevant authority within the SAPS.

The police have until 2pm today to notify Vearey’s legal representatives if they intend to oppose his application, failing which the unopposed application will proceed on

August 2.