EFF leader Julius Malema has accused Police Minister Bheki Cele of being in cahoots with the criminals.
Addressing the MPs during the State of the Nation Address debate in parliament on Tuesday, Malema said in the midst of landlessness and joblessness among other crises facing the country, South Africa is reeling due to increasing crime rates which he attributed to Cele, saying the minister is “incapable and unwilling”.
He said Cele is failing to combat crimes but instead shows up after incidents have occurred “to pose for cameras”.
“The minister of police has demonstrated that he has got nothing to offer except to project himself as a model. He is indeed a certified fool without any alternative to reducing crime in South Africa,” said Malema.
“We said before that the current leadership of the police is incapable, and we firmly called for the removal of some of these imposters, and our cries fell on deaf ears.
“We have on several occasions called on the president to release the clever minister, who has always showed up for cameras on the time of the crime scene with the intention of arresting wrong people and mess up the crime scenes and mess up the cases.
“As we speak, crime has gone very high in South Africa. In all respect, we don’t even want to talk about GBV [gender-based violence, cash-in transit heists, we don’t want to talk about contact crime because the leadership of the police is in cahoots with the criminals. The only way we can be defeated when dealing with crime is only when the leadership of the police is working with criminals.”
Malema also accused Cele of working with drug dealers, and being on the payrolls of hit men and women of this country. He revealed that Cele allegedly planned an assassination of EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, stating that the crime was confirmed and reported.
“The leadership of the police works with drug lords, the leadership of the police works with iinkabi [hitmen], the leadership of the police is in the payroll of hitmen and women of this country.”
He explained further: “The leadership of the police actually planned the assassination of our DP [deputy president], a matter that we brought to the attention of the president, that the minister was involved in the plot to killing the DP of the EFF. This is a matter that has been reported and has been confirmed,” said added.
Malema also referred to the murder of former EFF secretary-general’s daughter Hillary Gardee, saying the police told the suspects to implicate Shivambu. Philemon Lukhele, one of the suspects, confirmed this to Sunday World in January.
Lukhele told Sunday World at the time: “It was clear that someone was trying to settle a score. They tortured me and tried to force me to implicate Floyd [Shivambu], but I had not seen Floyd in over four years.
“How and why would I agree to throw him under the bus for something he did not do, even I had never laid my eyes on Hillary.”
Malema said he raised the issue to prove that Cele is indeed a corrupt leader.
Malema said the president must remove Cele from his post with immediate effect.
“It is the responsibility of the so-called president to remove honourable Bheki Cele with immediate effect, because he has failed the people of South Africa,” he said.
“What happened with our artists, DJ Sumbody and AKA? We will never get to know because the police leadership is in cahoots with the criminals’ syndicate. We cannot fight crime while [we are led] by criminals. We must first get rid of criminals in order to defeat crime. May AKA’s soul rest in peace and haunt all of these people who have made it so difficult for him to live long
“I’m not saying anything against anyone, I’m just telling you the facts that we ought to fight criminality in the police, and if the shoe fits, wear it, because it’s the truth.”
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