Cape Town - National police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said he would send a statement within 24-hours on the redeployment of outgoing provincial police commissioner Khombinkosi Jula to KwaZulu-Natal.
On Friday Jula bid farewell to colleagues and friends at a special function. Everything is packed and he’s ready to go. Now politicians, including Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz and community stakeholders, have called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to expedite the announcement so that the process for the filling of the post can be begin in earnest.
Fritz already confirmed on record that Jula was leaving at the end of the month and that the police minister would be making an announcement. There were also calls from the provincial legislature to expedite the process so that an end to divisions within the provincial structures could be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Naidoo said: “I will be making a statement regarding the redeployment of commissioner Jula within 24 hours.”
On Sunday Fritz added that they had communicated with Cele and that it was only appropriate that the minister make the announcement.
But he added that they both were on the same wicket.
Jula previously served as deputy police commissioner in KZN before he was transferred to the Western Cape in 2016 to replace disgraced former commissioner Arno Lamoer who was sentenced to a 10-year jail term in 2018 on charges of corruption and money laundering
The Jula debacle stems from allegations from senior brass that he purportedly created division with SAPS management responsible for approving the major offences reaction team and allegedly established a rogue investigation unit that reported directly to him.
Sources said that intelligence head Peter Jacobs and head of detectives
Jeremy Vearey were the two frontrunners to take over the reins.
On Sunday the Mitchells Plain Policing Forum openly on social media started a campaign stating that Vearey was their obvious choice.
CPF chairperson Abie Isaacs said: “Our candidate for provincial police commissioner is Jeremy Vearey.
He has all the credentials, vast experience and is familiar with the scourge
of gangsterism and drugs in the province.
“We don’t need imports to get our house in order.
“For the past three years crime in our province has rocketed.
“It is time that we need our top brass to infiltrate and tackle our gangsters,” Isaacs said.