Action Society’s head of community safety, Ian Cameron, has laid charges of crimen injuria and common assault against Police Minister Bheki Cele.
The charges were laid at the Gugulethu police station on Thursday after Cele and other policemen “forcibly” removed Cameron from a community meeting held at Ikhwezi Community Centre in the area on Tuesday.
According to Cameron, Action Society attended the meeting to represent crime victims who are overlooked by the system.
“I had no choice but to lay these charges. Until today, it is still unclear why, and on whose order, the police removed me from the meeting,” said Cameron.
“I was no threat to anyone. I never wanted the meeting to turn into a political fight. Action Society attended the meeting to represent community members affected by crime and neglected by the system.”
Cameron said the organisation will further lodge a complaint with the public protector in terms of the Executive Members’ Ethics Bill and its code of conduct after the minister’s “disgraceful conduct” compromised the credibility and integrity of his office.
He added that another complaint would be submitted to the Office of the Registrar of Members’ Interests in parliament.
Cameron said Cele, in his capacity as a member of the legislature, breached the parliament’s code of conduct. “A complaint will also be lodged with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to investigate the misconduct by the members of the SAPS.”
The meeting in Gugulethu descended into chaos after Cele told Cameron to “shut up” and ordered him to leave the meeting.
Cameron, who took offence, accused the minister of politicising the plight of crime victims and “made things about himself” other than the issues faced by the community in the Western Cape.
Cameron said at the time: “I called Cele out as he was talking politics instead of dealing with issues faced by the people of the Western Cape. He was complaining about neighbourhood crime watch, traffic police, and metro police saying they are trying to form parallel structures and the constitution.”
He added that what also offended Cele was when he asked him why he rocked up in the meeting with a motorcade of six cars with bodyguards while ordinary women would be patrolling the streets at night without being guarded by anyone.
“I told him that he should wear normal clothes and walk the streets to show empathy on their plight, and he lost it.”
Cameron told Cele not to speak down to him, and all hell broke loose, as the minister chastised the activist.
“Don’t teach me about human rights. Don’t provoke me, don’t tell me things that you have been told about. I have lived this life. I have lived the life of being African. I have lived the life when my mother was called a kitchen girl and my father was called a garden boy,” said Cele at the meeting in his response to Cameron.
“I am not going to take nonsense from somebody who regards me as a garden boy today, because you regard me as a garden boy, shut up, shut up. I sat here listening to you talking nonsense. Sit down and listen young man, or get out.”
Cameron snapped and refused to sit down, even after one of the residents tried to ask him politely to take a sit.
Speaking to Sunday World after he was chucked out, Cameron said: “Nothing will change in what I said until Bheki Cele is fired. He abuses police for political gain.”
Who is the guy that made Bheki Cele this mad? And what did he say to him? pic.twitter.com/SSomdc4jWm
— Big Mo (@MogomotsiLebot2) July 5, 2022
Bheki Cele's response to this was to yell "Shut up!" and later accuse him of talking "rubbish" and trying to politicize crime. The failed ANC is allergic to reality. https://t.co/AdL0KtKPO9
— Tom Eaton (@TomEatonSA) July 6, 2022
Minister Bheki Cele is a authoritarian bully that doesn’t deserve the office he holds!
The issues @IanCameron23 @ActionSocietySA raises are issues that deserve a response and issues that touches every single person including many SAPS officers doing the hard work. pic.twitter.com/EUT8O55Jf8
— Ricardo Mackenzie MPL🇿🇦 (@ricardomackenzi) July 5, 2022
Also read: Bheki Cele tells Action Society leader to ‘shut up’
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