Police Minister Bheki Cele Tells Community Leader to “Shut Up” During Crime Meeting, Ian Cameron Speaks Out

• Police Minister Bheki Cele yelled at the director of a civil society organisation who questioned him about crime
• Action Society’s Ian Cameron was told to “shut up”, “listen” and “get out” by the police minister, who then had him removed
• Cameron plans to lay a complaint about the conduct with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate

WESTERN CAPE - Police Minister Bheki Cele lost his cool at a community meeting when the director of a civil society organisation questioned him about the crime in Gugulethu on Tuesday, 5 July.

Action Society’s Ian Cameron was told to “shut up”, “listen” and “get out” several times after pointing out the police’s failures in curbing the high crime levels in the community.

He said the organisation assists community members and that he does not see Cele doing the same. Cameron went on to say Action Society is called on to investigate cases of gender-based violence where police failed to obtain convictions, TimesLIVE reported.

Read also

ANC NEC calls for Eskom to be declared a state of emergency, says the rolling blackouts are a crisis

He also said that Cele does not patrol the streets at night like others at the meeting. The comments seemed to have irked the minister, who spoke about human rights and his time on Robben Island. Cameron was pushed out of the venue by police officers and escorted towards his car.

Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Cameron said he was shocked and disappointed by the minister’s conduct at the meeting.

“I didn’t think Cele would go off at me in that manner. He exposed himself and all I did was present the facts and he did not like it. Cele also tried to make the issues about human rights when the discussion was about violent crimes in the area and the police’s response,” he said.

The organisation also launched a campaign, #Celemustgo, on Twitter, calling for the minister to be removed from his position. When questioned about its role, Cameron said:

Read also

Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana loses iPhone and manages to track it down, Mzansi urges him to go get it

“I believe that Cele should be sacked. His response at the meeting was very bad and it is alarming how removed from reality he is. If he is not removed from his position, the crime in the country will continue to escalate.”

Cameron also shared that he will be meeting with the organisation’s legal team and plans to lay a complaint about the conduct with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.

South Africans weighed in on Police Minister Bheki Cele’s conduct at the community meeting:

@muimbi_princem said:

“We can differ, yes anyone does have a line not to cross. Action like this we mostly saw at EEF. But it was not supposed to go this far. As a leader, you control your temper.”

@Shumas9 wrote:

“He can’t debate, or show some leadership skills.”

@Sabe15496425 commented:

“Nothing wrong with what Cameron said or did to this useless Minister.”

@Lucky_mbatini2 added:

“The gentleman made serious points here and it was wrong for the minister to react the way he did. There was nothing racist about what the gentleman said. ANC politicians lost touch with the reality on the ground.”

Read also

ANC slams suspended Secretary-General Ace Magashule for attending EFF rally, says the conduct is irresponsible

Cele reacts to crime stats, claims that police are not to blame for high crime: “SA is at war with itself”

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported South African police minister Bheki Cele has rubbished claims that the police are responsible for the high crime rate in South Africa. Instead, he attributed the alarming stats to individual circumstances, personal behaviour and the police being overworked.

The DA’s Ockert Terblanche suggested that Cele should resign in the wake of the crime stats. Ockert said that all the issues that the police were supposed to be dealing with, such as gender-based violence, have increased.

Source: Briefly News