Former police minister Bheki Cele has told the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that he has not forgiven him for allegations he made before the committee.
Mkhwanazi testified that Cele received suspicious money from Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a member of the alleged “Big Five” drug cartel, through a third-party account number that was reportedly sent to Matlala via text message.
It was revealed by evidence leader Norman Arendse SC that Mkhwanazi had called to apologise for the error, saying the team had not conducted proper analysis on the said account number.
MPs argued that Mkhwanazi should formally apologise to Cele, the committee, and the general public.
ANC MP Khusela Diko-Sangoni questioned whether Cele had forgiven Mkhwanazi for the allegation. Cele expressed appreciation for Mkhwanazi, saying he likes him for doing his work.
Genuine mistake
“But Mkhwanazi is a human being like me and you; he has his faults. I think one problem that has happened with Mkhwanazi is the South African society that has sung him hallelujah.
“As a human being, you love to float in the clouds of popularity, and out of that, you begin to make mistakes,” said Cele.
He described Mkhwanazi as a “tough nut” because of the training he has been through in the police force.
Cele said the gesture does not necessarily mean that Mkhwanazi is what he called a holy person but believed that his mistakes are genuine.
“I have not seen him. I am planning to see him, but as I’m sitting here, I believe that he made a genuine mistake.
“If you make a mistake and I believe it’s a mistake, you need to be pardoned. I have not arrived there, but I have arrived at the understanding that he made a genuine mistake,” Cele said.
