‘He must be ashamed of himself’ — Dali Mpofu takes fresh shots at Cele over ‘plot’ to get rid of him

Dali Mpofu has slammed police minister Bheki Cele’s claims that EFF leader Julius Malema and national police commissioner Gen Khehla Sitole plotted to remove him from his position.

During the state of the nation address (Sona) debate in parliament this week, Cele alleged Malema met Sitole in December 2020 to plot his removal.

“On December 10 2020 there was a meeting between yourself and the national commissioner and a plot was hatched that I must be chased. I’m not surprised that today this is happening,” he claimed.

While Cele later withdrew his comments, after deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli ruled he was out of order, his claims have sparked mixed reaction on social media.

Mpofu weighed in on the conversation, calling Cele a “liar” and questioning the claims.

“We must ask why it took so long for Sitole to fail to get rid of him as instructed by the EFF? The point remains: Bheki Cele is lying. He must be ashamed of himself. Otherwise he must repeat his false accusations outside of parliament,” Mpofu said.

Sitole has also rubbished the claims, saying he was “shocked and dismayed”. He alleged he met Malema to discuss threats against the EFF leader.

“The meeting was solely about the alleged threats against Mr Malema and nothing else. Feedback was provided to the deputy minister,” read a statement, issued under the name of former police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo.

“The national commissioner is amazed his name and image is being tarnished for political reasons. He decided to issue this statement of clarity since his name is mentioned in parliament, and it’s important for such an institution to know and understand the facts.”