Did Bheki Cele lie about his parents being a ‘kitchen girl’ and ‘garden boy’?

Social media users have criticised Minister of Police Bheki Cele for seemingly lying about his parents while he lost his cool during a community meeting in Gugulethu.

Cele was involved in a heated exchange with Action Society director, Ian Cameron, after he was slammed for failing to ensure the safety of residents of the Western Cape.

“I lived this life, I lived life of being an African, I have lived a life when my mother was called a kitchen girl, when my father was called a garden boy,” said Cele.

It’s not clear if Cele was referencing the struggle song which refers to the economical inequalities our parents lived in during the apartheid era or he was actually referring to his upbringing.

However, a quick google search will take you to a KZN government page which details Cele’s upbringing.

It claims Cele’s mother died when he was nine years old and he was raised by his father, who was an induna at the South African Railways.

As a son of an induna, it can be assumed Cele did not experience the poverty stricken life a lot of black people did.

Apart from the apparent lie, some social media users were infuriated by Cele belittling gardeners. They claimed gardeners do their job better than he has.

TikTok user Stacy Leigh Watkins said: “We got a gardener, he works hard. Mad respect for his efforts, it’s the mutual respect we have for each other, Cele doesn’t have any.”

While MC said: “Cele should not have insulted the garden boy. My garden boy is more competent than him.”

The Kiffness even turned the heated exchange into a song. If you haven’t heard the ‘Shut up’ remix, check it out below:

@thekiffness #bhekicele #shutup #tiktoksouthafrica ♬ original sound – The Kiffness

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