Ian Cameron failed to render same respect he was given, says Cele on his public outburst

Police minister Bheki Cele on Friday admitted that both he and activist Ian Cameron could have handled their robust public outburst “in a better way”.

“He failed to render the same response and the same respect that was given to him as everybody listened. It cannot be you giving your speech and everybody listens to you and when people respond you stand up and bang the tables,” said Cele.

During a media briefing on the July 2021 unrest in Pretoria, the minister was asked whether it was acceptable for a member of the executive to speak to members of the public in the manner that he had when he responded to Cameron earlier this week.

On Tuesday, TimesLIVE reported that Cele lost his composure in Gugulethu when Cameron, a director of community safety at Action Society, questioned the police’s failure to combat crime.

Cele was attending a community policing engagement in Gugulethu when Cameron was given an opportunity to speak.

The minister did not take kindly to the statement Cameron made and told him he did not joined human rights battles yesterday. Later, when Cameron was trying to respond, Cele told him to “shut up” a number of times and told him to “listen” or “get out” before Cameron was pushed out by one of the policemen at the venue.

It was reported that Cameron intended opening a case against the police and Cele following the outburst.

Explaining his version of events, Cele said he was attending a meeting at his constituency in Nyanga to discuss a wide range of societal issues.

“Thirty organisations in the ward, not in the City of Cape Town, were invited to plan an imbizo to talk about all issues because you are running that office as a member of parliament rather than as a member of the executive.”

Cele said Cameron, who had not been invited to attend the meeting, was given an opportunity to speak.

“The issue here that must be explained is that [although] he was not invited, he was given a full opportunity and he really spoke for some time, saying things,” said Cele.

He said everyone had listened to Cameron but when it was his chance to respond to him, Cameron apparently interrupted him.

“The trouble is not what he said. When I responded, the gentleman stood up and caused chaos. It’s on the score that he was called to sit down and listen because the house and I gave him full respect and listened to him saying everything without anybody making any response.

“The call was to sit down and listen as you have been rendered the same respect of being listened to and nobody disturbed you. That’s the only thing that happened there. The robust whatever … could have happened a better way, [with] both the people rendering respect to one another.”

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.