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South Africa's new police chief

Chris Bathembu

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30 July 2009

South Africa's tough talking new national police commissioner, Bheki Cele, had some hard words for criminals as he prepared to take up the position of the country's top police officer on Wednesday.

President Jacob Zuma announced that Cele will take up his new role on 2 August, replacing Jackie Selebi, whose contract ends on Friday.

Known for his tough stance on crime as provincial minister for transport and community safety in KwaZulu-Natal, Cele did not mince his words at Wednesday's press conference in Pretoria.

"People say all sorts of things about me. They say I'm abrasive," Cele said. "But you can't be nice to criminals; you can't be running around kissing crime, because you are dealing with tough guys."

Cele said his vision was of a country where young girls could play in the streets at any time of day or night without fear of being attacked. "That is the kind of South Africa I would like to see," he said.

Zuma said Cele was a perfect choice for the job, praising him for his role in resolving the taxi violence in KwaZulu-Natal.

"We have no doubt that Mr Cele will lead the SAPS efficiently and effectively," Zuma said. "He takes over the leadership of SAPS just as government forges ahead to improve its capacity."

Zuma said that as part of improving the capacity of the country's police service, the number of police personnel would be increased from 180 000 to more than 200 000, with more focus being given to visibility and crime detection.

Zuma said a programme was already under way to train more than 12 000 police personnel in detective-related positions.

He added that the Ministry of Police was busy forming a dedicated unit to focus on better interaction with communities.

Source: BuaNews