Bheki Cele on whether his job is safe: ‘When the time comes, I will go home’

Police minister Bheki Cele dodged questions about the recent removal of national police commissioner Khehla Sitole at a media briefing on Sunday and was equally evasive about his own future.

Cele was part of a group of ministers of the justice, crime prevention and security cluster who briefed reporters on security issues dealt with by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his opening address to parliament.

Cele declined to answer several questions from journalists about the departure of Sitole, instead saying: “It is a presidency issue.”

“Not a single one [of the questions] I am going to answer because that is a presidency issue,” he said.

Ramaphosa announced in a statement on Friday that Sitole will vacate his office at the end of March as a result of a “mutual agreement” and the departure time frame would allow for a proper handover of tasks to senior SAPS officials.

The presidency said Ramaphosa and Sitole agreed that the early termination “is in the best interests of the country”.

Asked about his own future and whether he believed his own job was safe, Cele said: “When time comes, I will go home.

“I definitely did not employ myself — what I know, is that I am doing my job and I will continue to do my job as long as I am given the opportunity. But when [the] time comes, I will go home. I don’t think I will have a problem.”

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