President Cyril Ramaphosa has characterised the ongoing public spat between national police commissioner Khehla Sitole and minister Bheki Cele as a “manifestation” at the highest echelons of the SAPS leadership.
Ramaphosa said the ongoing war of words between Sitole and Cele would have to be dealt with in the context of leadership changes in the country’s security apparatus. He announced the changes last week when he delivered his state of the nation address last week.
Ramaphosa made these remarks at a media engagement in parliament on Wednesday after he delivered his reply to questions on the state of the nation address.
“It also speaks to what you call the spats between some of the key people, for instance, in the police,” said Ramaphosa.
“So that too is a manifestation of some of the problems we’ve got in the security (cluster) or in the police in particular, where people who are supposed to occupy key positions are seen to be at odds. So the initiative we’re going to be putting in place will have to be seen to be addressing issues like that.”
Sitole and Cele have been embroiled in a long-running public spat.
The latest conflict erupted last Thursday when the police minister alleged during media interviews that the police commissioner had snubbed the Sona, where the SAPS was a crucial part of the security arrangements.
Cele heightened the tensions between him and Sitole when he said on Monday the police had met last year to plot the minister’s ousting with EFF leader Julius Malema.
The police minister was on Tuesday ordered by deputy National Assembly speaker Lechesa Tsenoli to withdraw the allegations against Malema as he had not submitted a substantive motion to back them up.
Sitole issued a statement on Tuesday denouncing the allegations made against him by his political boss.
Ramaphosa said he was worried about the matter.
“It concerns me, and it’s a matter I’m paying attention to,” he said.
Turning to the process to appoint a new chief justice, Ramaphosa said he was still considering a report from the Judicial Service Commission after it recommended the ascendancy of Supreme Court of Appeal president Mandisa Maya after a public selection process.
However, Ramaphosa was quick to point out he had the final say on the matter in terms of section 174 of the constitution.
Ramaphosa hinted that he had not expected the JSC to directly nominate a candidate for appointment and should have merely presented him with a report on the suitability of all candidates recently interviewed.
“They went over that and nominated a person. Now that does not detract from the role of the president. The president still has the authority and the power in the end to, after various consultations within the JSC and (political) parties (represented in parliament), appoint the chief justice, and that’s where we are now.
“And that’s precisely what I’m giving consideration to, and we will see how that ensues, ... Political parties will be consulted and told what the final decision will be.”
Ramaphosa also made a commitment to appear before parliament’s public finance watchdog body, Scopa, should it call him to do so.
Scopa was on Wednesday night scheduled to deliberate on his written response to its questions stemming from a letter by controversial MP Mervyn Dirks.
In his letter, Dirks said the committee should probe Ramaphosa for apparently doing nothing to stop the use of public funds in ANC campaigns.
Dirks said that was based on a leaked recording of the ANC national executive committee in which Ramaphosa could be heard talking about the matter.
“I will go if they call me, I will not wait to be summoned,” Ramaphosa said.
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