Police minister Bheki Cele has placed the blame on previous police leaders for the escalating violent crime wave in SA. An example of the leadership laxity was the fact that the security cluster, in which the police services played a key part, had not met for two years when he took over the portfolio. "Perhaps that is part of dropping the ball‚" he said. "But now we meet regularly … I am putting all these heads [current police leaders] on the block," said Cele. "I don’t want to ask who dropped the ball. We must pick up the ball. For me, that is the most important thing," Cele said after the presentation in parliament of the crime statistics for the 2017-2018 financial year. The statistics were largely seen as a reflection of his predecessors Fikile Mbalula and Nathi Nhleko, who held the portfolio under former president Jacob Zuma. Cele was appointed police minister earlier in 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The 2017-2018 crime statistics showed that SA had recorded an increase in...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.