Cele unfazed by state capture allegations
The police minister maintains allegations levelled against him are only assumptions at this stage and a response would be tabled after testimony if necessary.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele. Picture: EPA-EFE/NIC BOTHMA
Police Minister Bheki Cele has criticised allegations levelled against him at the commission of inquiry into state capture where he was accused to have awarded tenders to Durban businessman Timothy Marimuthu.
Ex-crime intelligence member Colonel Dhanajaya Naidoo told the commission of previous conversations with colleagues during his testimony on Monday. “Over a period of time”, he heard rumours that when Cele was the MEC for transport in KwaZulu-Natal, he was allegedly involved in Marimuthu receiving beneficial tenders.
Naidoo said Marimuthu was a former cop who was convicted of dealing drugs but never served any jail time.
Cele responded that the allegations lacked substance as they were only assumptions at this stage. His communication team responded to TimesLive to argue that Cele would wait until after Colonel Naidoo had completed his testimony to provide a response if necessary.
Naidoo said that the chief financial officer of the secret services account was Major General Solomon Lazarus, who at some stage had resisted from being transferred from the position.
In early 2009 or 2010, he attended a meeting at Marimuthu’s house in Umhlanga Rocks, Durban, which was attended by Cele, Lazarus, and Marimuthu.
The commission heard that Lazarus was waiting for Cele and that closer to the time when Cele would arrive, Lazarus said to Naidoo that it was not easy to organise a meeting with the former MEC.
Naidoo’s testimony continues.
(Compiled by Gopolang Moloko, backround reporting by Makhosandile Zulu.)
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