Cele: Humiliated, abused by hearings

2012-06-13 13:15

Bheki Cele appears at the news conference in Pretoria. (Werner Beukes, Sapa)

Pretoria - Axed police commissioner Bheki Cele on Wednesday said he would file a complaint with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) against retired judge Jake Moloi.

"He [Moloi] was very hostile towards me," Cele told reporters in Pretoria.

"I felt humiliated and abused," he said referring to the board of inquiry hearings.

Cele said it was strange that Moloi's report found him unfit for the job of police commissioner, though his performance in crime-fighting exceeded that of all his predecessors.

"How can you say I'm unfit?" he said.

"My efforts in crime-fighting seem to be irrelevant."

Court application

Cele said he would file an application with the North Gauteng High Court by the end of the week.

He wanted the court to review President Jacob Zuma's decision to fire him based on the "flawed" report by Moloi.

Cele said Moloi had tried to tarnish his reputation.

He said he had minutes from a meeting that Moloi was present at with the prosecutors and people from ministers' offices, discussing going to Zuma to ask to have more charges brought against Cele.

"If you [are] a presiding officer I would not expect you to sit in a meeting with prosecutors," he said.

When asked what he would do next, Cele said he was going to KwaZulu-Natal to relax and think.
However, he did not rule out going back into politics.

Political life

"I love politics and politics loves me," he said.

"I would not be surprised if I go back to the active political life." Cele said he would never abandon the ANC.

He also said he continued to have an excellent relationship with Zuma.

"The root of the relationship is long; 25 years," he said.

Despite going to court, Cele said he would "go quietly".

"I will not engage in any pointless back-chattings; I will simply shut up and go home," he said.

"I'm not dying for this job anymore."

- SAPA