Cele: Police turmoil 'across the board' not just crime intelligence

Police Minister Bheki Cele said the turmoil within the South African Police Service is "across the board" and isn't isolated to Crime Intelligence, the division at the heart of Parliament’s corruption probe.

Cele, who concluded his evidence before the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating police corruption on Friday, maintained that instability within Crime Intelligence has persisted for decades, irrespective of who is in charge.

The minister spent most of his two days of testimony detailing how police structures have been dismantled over the years, which he believes has led to a rise in crime and instability within the force.

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He noted the current turmoil has escalated to the point where a deputy national commissioner can take a national commissioner to court.

Cele was referring to the case where Deputy National Commissioner Lt-Gen ShadrackSibiya took National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to court.

Sibiya was suspended in July over corruption allegations that KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made.

Despite focusing on intelligence, Cele stressed that the problems go beyond that division and a small circle of the police's senior management.

"The turmoil is not in the Crime Intelligence only, it’s across the board," Cele stated. "Crime Intelligence turmoil is long. I don’t know what’s your age, but it’s probably the same as your age."

During his concluding testimony, Cele accused former Minister Senzo Mchunu of illegally disbanding the Political Killings Task Team.