Mthethwa meets 'hit list' cops2014-01-06 15:58
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa (Picture: Sapa)
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Johannesburg - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Monday met 18 police officers whose names were on an alleged "hit list", his office said.
"As I'm speaking to you, the meeting is currently taking place in Pretoria," Mthethwa's spokesperson Zweli Mnisi said.
"He was supposed to be attending the ANC NEC meeting in Nelspruit but has returned to attend to this matter because the allegations raised are serious."
The minister would seek to determine the authenticity of the alleged list and hold discussions with the affected parties so it could be understood what was going on, Mnisi said.
On Saturday, police said they were not aware of the alleged list containing the names of police officials, including Lieutenant General Layton Mzondeki "Sean" Tshabalala who died last week, who were apparently mistreated.
"We obviously are not aware of this list that is being referred to," national police spokesperson Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale told Sapa at the time.
Makgale was responding to tweets by Selby Bokaba, the City of Tshwane spokesperson, from the funeral service of Tshabalala.
‘Ill-treatment in SAPS’
Bokaba tweeted that former national police commissioner Bheki Cele had told mourners at Tshabalala's funeral in Randburg that there was a list of police who had been badly treated.
"#Walter Sisulu Hall in Randburg is stunned by Bheki Cele's revelation. Why was Sean on the list of targeted people in the police? asks Cele," read one of Bokaba's tweets.
"Tshabalala's name is number 1 on the list of 18 other former MK [Umkhonto we Sizwe] colleagues and current Saps colleagues," Bokaba tweeted on Cele's speech.
In a further tweet, Bokaba reported that Cele claimed Tshabalala had documented his mistreatment: "#Bheki Cele now reading out #Sean Tshabalala's document expressing his ill-treatment in the Saps. The hall claps."
Bokaba told Sapa at the time that he was tweeting in his personal capacity and was attending the funeral as he and Tshabalala were friends and had previously worked together.
Cele, when asked by Sapa whether he had made the comments about the list, said: "I did speak about that."
However, he said his comment on the matter "ends there".
A police investigation has been launched into the death of Tshabalala, who had been the police inspectorate's divisional commissioner, after his body was found in his office at police headquarters in Pretoria on Tuesday.
- SAPA
Read more on: police | nathi mthethwa | pretoria | crime
Mthethwa calls urgent meeting after 'hit list' claim
06 JAN 2014 15:01 SAPA
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has called an emergency meeting after Bheki Cele spoke of an alleged police "hit list" containing 18 officers' names.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa. (Gallo)
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Monday met 18 police officers whose names were on an alleged "hit list" of senior officers who were apparently mistreated by the South African Police Service (Saps), his office said.
"As I'm speaking to you, the meeting is currently taking place in Pretoria," Mthethwa's spokesperson Zweli Mnisi said.
"He [Mthethwa] was supposed to be attending the ANC NEC [national executive committee] meeting in Nelspruit but has returned to attend to this matter because the allegations raised are serious."
The minister would seek to determine the authenticity of the alleged list and hold discussions with the affected parties so it could be understood what was going on, Mnisi said.
On Saturday, former national police commissioner Bheki Cele spoke of a list of senior officers set to be dismissed from the Saps, at the funeral of Lieutenant General Layton Mzondeki "Sean" Tshabalala.
Police said on Sunday that they were not aware of the alleged list, which included the name of Tshabalala.
"We obviously are not aware of this list that is being referred to," national police spokesperson Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale said at the time.
Treated badly
Makgale was responding to tweets by Selby Bokaba, the City of Tshwane spokesperson, from the funeral service of Tshabalala.
Bokaba tweeted that former national police commissioner Bheki Cele had told mourners at Tshabalala's funeral that there was a list of police who had been badly treated.
"#Walter Sisulu Hall in Randburg is stunned by Bheki Cele's revelation. Why was Sean [Tshabalala] on the list of targeted people in the police? asks Cele," read one of Bokaba's tweets.
"Tshabalala's name is number 1 on the list of 18 other former MK [Umkhonto we Sizwe] colleagues and current Saps colleagues," Bokaba tweeted on Cele's speech.
In a further tweet, Bokaba reported that Cele claimed Tshabalala had documented his mistreatment: "#Bheki Cele now reading out #Sean Tshabalala's document expressing his ill-treatment in the Saps. The hall claps."
Bokaba said at the time that he was tweeting in his personal capacity and was attending the funeral as he and Tshabalala were friends and had previously worked together.
Cele, when asked by Sapa whether he had made the comments about the list, said: "I did speak about that." However, he said his comment on the matter "ends there".
A police investigation has been launched into the death of Tshabalala, who was the police inspectorate's divisional commissioner, after his body was found in his office at police headquarters in Pretoria on Christmas Day. – Sapa
Mthethwa: Top cop purge list put to rest
January 7 2014 at 06:39am
By Adam Wakefield
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Johannesburg - The “hit list” containing the names of 18 police officers is a fabrication, and any issues it created have been put to rest, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Monday.
Mthethwa met with the affected officers in Pretoria earlier in the day.
“The meeting went well because the major issue was this list of people, and these are the people I met, who actually distanced (themselves) from this,” he told Sapa.
“They don't know where this comes from, but our discussion revolved around what they are supposed to do, the major tasks of the police and not to be distracted. I also resolved we are not going to be chasing ghosts... someone came up with this thing.”
The list first came to light on Saturday during the funeral of Lt-Gen Layton Mzondeki “Sean” Tshabalala, whose name was reportedly on it.
City of Tshwane spokesman Selby Bokaba tweeted that former national police commissioner Bheki Cele told mourners at Tshabalala's funeral in Randburg, Johannesburg, that there was a list of police officers who had been badly treated.
Bokaba told Sapa at the time he was tweeting in his personal capacity and was attending the funeral as he and Tshabalala were friends and had worked together.
Cele, when asked by Sapa whether he had made the comments about the list, said: “I did speak about that.” However, he said his comment on the matter “ends there”.
Mthethwa said the ministry and police were not going to waste their energy on a “drama” whose origin was unknown.
“It is put to rest. I think any man can wake up any day and compile a list. It's a distraction and an inconvenience, malicious in intent and a fabrication,” the minister said.
“We do not want to focus on such things and for us really, if you have this kind of thing, it can create confusion and despair unnecessarily.”
Mthethwa said following the meeting, both the ministry and police management were focused on their jobs.
“People from time to time will come up with this thing. You have a lot of tattlers out there,” he said.
“I asked Cele what is this thing, and he says it comes from the management, and the management know nothing of this. For me, it is a piece of press basically.”
A police investigation has been launched into the death of Tshabalala, the police inspectorate's divisional commissioner. His body was found in his office at police headquarters in Pretoria on Tuesday. - Sapa
The Minister and the whole 'top(less)' management should have been fired a long time ago.....!
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