Cele slams opposition for cop criticism

NEWLY appointed Police Minister Bheki Cele has slammed opposition parties for trying to score “cheap political points” over the killing of five police officers in Ngcobo last week.

Cele was in Ngcobo on Tuesday where he was greeted with loud cheers by the local community, and told Parliament yesterday that the deaths of the five officers was too serious an issue for the ANC’s opponents to draw on as political capital or grandstand.

This came as opposition parties accused the police of poor management and a lack of capacity in crime intelligence that would have detected plans to attack the police station.

However, Cele said he was too pained to start arguing about what should have happened at Ngcobo.

He said in one week the SAPS had lost nine officers, including the five killed in Ngcobo, the three who died in a car accident in the area from North West and another killed in Maphumulo in KZN.

The DA’s Zakhele Mbhele said poor management and poor training of the police led to the attack.

Other opposition parties said crime intelligence’s poor service contributed to this, and accused the unit of fighting political battles in the ANC-led government instead of fighting crime.

Cele said Mbhele should attend the funerals of the slain police to feel the pain instead of political grandstanding in Parliament.

“As the police, I am pained and traumatised to come here and theorise about what should have happened.

“I will leave that for later. Sometimes (you) must attend the funerals (so) when you come back you will behave in a human way (rather than an) animal (way),” said Cele.

He also warned the Freedom Front Plus against the arming of citizens, saying it could lead to situations such as in the US where suspects walk into schools and kill students.

Cele said they would do everything in their power to ensure the protection of South Africans.

They would also improve the fight against violence against women and children, he said.