Cele sticks to his guns: Crime intelligence had millions to tackle July 2021 unrest

Police minister Bheki Cele has again poured cold water on national commissioner Gen Khehla Sitole’s claims that the police crime intelligence (CI) wing is under-resourced and that this played a part in the manner in which the police responded in the July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Cele was testifying before the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Monday as it probed the unrest that erupted after the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma, leading to the looting and torching of scores of businesses and the deaths of about 300 people.

Cele again raised the issue of R138m which he said was available for crime intelligence to use.

These were funds which had been underspent in its 2020/2021 budget. Cele said the CI had made a written request to the Treasury to have that money returned to it, and on May 18 2021, the Treasury had agreed to return a sum of R129m.

Cele said when he inquired about the funds, he was told they were intended for infrastructure development.

“You cannot have the country burning and then you prioritise painting a building,” he said.

Last year, a group of major-generals submitted statements to the SAHRC saying they had no money to pay informants to infiltrate meetings held to plan the riots, or to buy technology to monitor or intercept social media and other forms of communication used by those who planned the attacks.

The generals added that the lives of their agents and informants were at risk as operations to purchase exhibits that were planned before the funding crisis could no longer commence. They said specialised software was required to trace and identify specific accounts to address and identify the source of action of disruptive accounts.

They complained that CI's national security division was short of vehicles and equipment.

Cele, however, said CI's secret fund coffers were not empty either.

“There was money. Unfortunately, it’s a secret fund so I know nothing about it,” he said.

Cele said the open funds of crime intelligence were not dry at the time of the unrest. The unit had reportedly underspent R70m of its budget.

“The police budget is low,” said Cele, adding that it had been cut significantly over the years “but the police underspent by R4.2bn for operations [in the last financial year]”.

The biggest chunk of that — R2.2bn — was meant to have gone to visible policing, while R1bn was for training of detectives.

Cele submitted the reasons given for the underspending, which included Covid-19, were frivolous.

He also spoke of money meant for PPE being ring-fenced — a move he could not understand as the police had already lost 811 police officers to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

He added that while training of detectives perhaps could not happen physically, virtual training sessions could have been held. Cele said he only got to learn of the underspending at “the tail end” admitting that he should have known earlier.

Things have since changed, with Cele saying he was put in a position where he needed to micromanage to ensure that the budget was used. 

Pointing out the problems that existed in the police, Cele said red tape made it difficult to work with other departments.

He claimed there was equipment worth about R100m which “was gathering dust” that the SAPS could use to advance its technological capabilities — such as easily tracing faceless instigators of crime on social media. But this was “red-taped” as it needed to get the Department of Justice to sign off on it. 

While about 17 alleged instigators of the July 2021 unrest have been apprehended, Cele said police investigations were continuing and more arrests were expected.

Cele was asked whether there were blurred lines within the SAPS after reports and evidence in court cases of how he and Sitole have stepped on each other’s toes and regarding their roles. Cele disagreed, saying his constitutional mandate stated, among  other things, that he was to give direction on policing matters as well.

He did agree there was a need for structural change, adding that he agreed with the police unions that more of those who were stationed at the head office should not necessarily be there.

LISTEN | It was clear there was going to be unrest, Cele tells SAHRC hearing