Vearey: Tribalism preventing SAPS from ‘being one’
AXED Western Cape detective head Major-General Jeremy Vearey has spoken about “tribalism and ethno-nationalism” in the SAPS that was affecting top coloured officers from getting certain posts.
Vearey alleged this was because of the actions of minority national police generals and he had raised the issue on numerous occasions, including with National Commissioner Khehla Sitole, to no avail.
“I was the one when national commissioner Sitole came to brief us about the ‘Simunye: We are One' programme to raise that we are dealing with the problem of tribalism in the organisation. If we go to certain parts of the country there is a preference for a certain demographic. We are a national police service, not a Bantustan confederacy,” Vearey said during an interview with eNCA.
He further alleged that there was a deputy national commissioner who, when he and Lieutenant-General Peter Jacobs applied for Crime Intelligence posts, allegedly said: “They can't have two coloureds at head office.” Vearey did not state the name of this official.
Vearey and national police spokesperson Vish Naidoo did not respond to the Cape Times' questions yesterday, while police Minister Bheki Cele's spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, referred questions to SAPS.
The interview came a few days after Vearey was fired for misconduct in terms of the SAPS disciplinary regulations, after Facebook posts which were labelled as “bringing the SAPS into disrepute”.
Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said that in terms of the dispute resolution, they had referred the matter to the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council.
“We will be making a dispute in terms of procedural and substantial fairness. Popcru supports Major-General Vearey against the case of dismissal on the Contravention of the provisions of Regulation 5(4) (x) of the SAPS Discipline Regulations, 2016, bringing the name of the employer into disrepute.”
Activist Colin Arendse said it could not be coincidental that Vearey and other senior officers including Zelda Holtzman, Anwa Dramat and Andre Lincoln were all on the receiving end of vicious punitive action by “renegade agents” operating as public servants.
Lynn Abrahams from “Hands off the people's Vearey, Jacobs, Lincoln” Facebook page said they were planning pickets outside police stations next week.
“The picket is about all of our affected top cops and also the crisis within SAPS. It's about asking for an investigation into SAPS administration, governance and corruption.”
Community safety standing committee chairperson Reagan Allen called for Cele not to be silent on these developments claiming it further brought the SAPS brand into disrepute.