Bheki Cele in hospital for tests

2011-08-15 14:33

Johannesburg - National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele is well after he was admitted to a Pretoria hospital, SA Police Service said on Monday.

"I personally came to the hospital for a routine medical check-up and I walked into this medical facility unaided," Cele said in a statement from police spokesperson Colonel Vishnu Naidoo.

"I expect to remain in hospital for the next 12 to 24 hours as this is how long the tests may take to be completed," Cele said.

Naidoo said Cele was admitted to the hospital on Sunday for a "routine general medical check-up". The check-up "warranted" the commissioner staying in the hospital for at least 24 hours.

Zuid-Afrikaanse Hospital general manager Tienie van den Berg confirmed on Monday that Cele had been admitted, but said he could not comment on his condition.

Beeld newspaper reported on Monday that Cele first went to the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Groenkloof with chest pains on Sunday afternoon, but he was later transferred via ambulance to the Zuid-Afrikaanse Hospital.

Cele's wife, Thembeka Ngcobo, was at the Zuid-Afrikaanse Hospital in Muckleneuk when the Afrikaans daily contacted her for comment, but she declined to give any details on his condition.

Cele has been in the news in recent months after two reports by the public protector accused him of acting unlawfully when signing lease agreements in Pretoria and Durban for police offices.

- SAPA