Top cop Sitole welcomes upholding of Jeremy Veary’s dismissal

The ruling to uphold the dismissal of former deputy Western Cape commissioner for detectives, Major-General Jeremy Veary, has been lauded by national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole. 

The ruling was set down by the arbitrator – the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council (SSSBC) on Tuesday. 

Veary was dismissed in May, after disciplinary processes were brought against him regarding posts made to his personal Facebook account.

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The posts were said to have constituted disrespect towards Sitole, and brought the national commissioner into disrepute. 

“You allegedly brought the name of the employer into disrepute by posting images and messages, and causing same to be circulated through social media…[The posts] were intended to degrade the leadership of the South African Police Service and disrespect the authority of the national commissioner,” read the notice of the investigation.

After charges were laid against Veary, he referred what he deemed an unfair dismissal dispute to the SSSBC. 

In a 24-page award to the SSSBC, the arbitrator ruled that the dismissal of Veary was “substantively fair”, that he would remain dismissed, and that the bargaining council close the file.