Monday, August 9, 2010

Cele requests to meet with Sanef

Recent reports on police commissioner Bheki Cele and the R500 million rental deal for police headquarters may be on the agenda in a meeting between him and the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) on Tuesday. Sanef media freedom expert Raymond Louw said on Monday Cele had requested the meeting and they did not know what issues he would raise. "Obviously he is going to raise some issues, he may raise issues about the reports on the move of the police headquarters."

At a media briefing last week Cele said he would be approaching Sanef about the article in the Sunday Times to discuss what he said had been a unanimous agreement on the principles of professionalism. The Sunday Times reported that Cele had signed a R500 million property rental deal that would see police headquarters move to the Middestad Sanlam centre in Pretoria. According to the report the deal was not treated as a tender, violating Treasury regulations that all government contracts worth over R500,000 go through a bid process. However, Cele had denied this.

Louw said the editors were going to raise concerns about the conduct of the police in the arrest of Sunday Times journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika.

Wa Afrika was arrested outside the Sunday Times' offices on Wednesday by members of the Hawks special police unit. He was apparently arrested for the possession of what police claim was a fraudulent letter of resignation from Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza to President Jacob Zuma.

The meeting would take place at Sanef offices in Johannesburg at 10am.

Source: IoL

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