‘Cele will bring energy, drive and morale’
IF NEWLY-appointed Police Minister Bheki Cele’s tenure as national police commissioner is anything to go by, he will bring energy, drive and the improvement of police morale in his new role as Fikile Mbalula’s successor, analysts believe.
Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni said Cele was a good appointment because he had been an effective national police commissioner between 2009 and 2011.
He said Cele was also being rewarded for his early declaration to support Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the ANC’s December elective conference.
Fikeni said that among some of the issues Cele would have to confront were unresolved high-profile cases such as the murder of former Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, as well as a lasting solution to the political killings in KwaZuluNatal.
“He alone will not be able to do that without effective police intelligence and the right person being appointed to head that unit,” Fikeni said.
He said Cele’s familiarity with a place such Glebelands Hostel, where close to 100 people had been killed since 2014, would help him to start tackling issues around the hostel.
“He has the energy. He has the drive and I think at this point in time given the lawlessness that has descended upon our country, he may have an impact,” said Fikeni.
Zakhele Mbhele, the DA’s Police spokesperson, labelled Cele’s appointment as “irrational and shambolic”.
“It is a shame that such an irresponsible figure, who famously and recklessly instructed police to be trigger happy and ‘shoot to kill’ has now been put in charge of ensuring the police are a responsive and professional service,” Mbhele said.
He also highlighted Cele’s controversial role in the awarding of R1.7 billion lease agreements for police accommodation while he was national police commissioner.
Gareth Newham, the head of governance, crime and justice at the Institute for Security Studies, said Cele, in his tenure as police commissioner, had improved police morale and improved the sense among the public that the police were doing something about crime.
“I imagine that’s what he will bring to the ministry. The shortcomings we had with him as police commissioner are not likely to happen while he’s a minister because these are things that were a result of his operational position,” Newham said.
He said Cele would have to reflect on how important it was not to be a populist when making public statements regarding the police being tough on crime.
“The notion of shoot to kill is problematic because what you’re saying to the police is that they must decide who criminals are and they must kill those people when we know too often that the police shoot and kill innocent people,” Newham said.
He also said Cele would have to ensure there was a complete overhaul of the senior management echelon of the police as people had been appointed to top positions without proper processes being followed.