Durban - AN AXED policeman faces a criminal charge and a R15 million rand lawsuit for allegedly “refusing” to retract the “derogatory” statements he made against two police generals.
Major-General Jeremy Vearey, the axed head of detectives in the Western Cape, is being sued for R15m by National head of Counter and Security Intelligence Major-General Feroz Khan and Western Cape Crime Intelligence head Major-General Mzwandile Tiyo.
Tiyo is claiming R10m and Khan R5m in connection with comments Vearey made during a television interview in June. Vearey confirmed that he had received the combined summons on September 8, 2021.
On February 25, 2021, Vearey posted on social media the words “MOER HULLE!” to his colleague Peter Jacobs, the head of the SAPS Inspectorate.
Vearey was fired in May 2021 over “threatening” Facebook posts that “degraded” his boss, General Khehla Sitole. He challenged the dismissal, and the matter is currently before the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council.
Vearey told the Daily News that he stood by his statement, which he also made during a television interview with eNCA, and would not retract anything.
According to Vearey, he was encouraging his colleague, whom he was representing at the time, to be victorious and beat those forces reigned against him in a labour matter with the SAPS. An online function translated “moer hulle” as “f**k them”. Vearey claimed he did not type the words “f**k them” and had not intended “moer hulle” to mean this.
A letter dated June 28, 2021, to Veary by Ian Levitt Attorneys and Conveyancers, representing Khan and Tiyo, reads: “It has come to our attention that you made defamatory statements regarding our clients on live national television on 3 June 2021 during an interview on eNCA. A recording of these defamatory statements has since been published on various websites.
“Such defamatory statements include, but are not limited to, accusing our clients of ethno-nationalist tribalism, being derogatory and disgusting, hounding and harassing you and others, racism and dishonesty. We are instructed that you making these defamatory statements is done deliberately to exact revenge on our clients. This is due to the fact that you have been dismissed from your employment with the SAPS following a disciplinary hearing.”
The letter demanded that Vearey retract his statement.
“Your retraction is to take the form of a public statement in which you apologise to our clients for the allegations made; you retract the statements made against our clients on account of them being untrue and defamatory of our clients.”
Vearey was further instructed that the retraction/ public statement should be shared by him on all his social media accounts including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
“The public statement is to be issued as a press statement in your name. It must be sent by you to all media houses with which you have conducted interviews; and our clients will distribute your public statement to all the media houses whose contact details they possess.”
An ultimatum of June 30, 2021, was given.
Khan opened charges of crimen injuria and defamation of character at the Sandton SAPS after Vearey refused to retract his statements.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo confirmed that a case of crimen injuria had been opened.
Vearey said: “I was unaware of the criminal case. No one has warned me about it. I raised the lawsuit matter during the hearing. I told the Security Bargaining Council that I was concerned that the lawsuit might affect the hearing into my dismissal because both dealt with the same issues.”
Khan said he had been coming under attack ever since he was appointed acting Crime Intelligence head by the late Lieutenant-General Sindile Mfazi.
“I am not sure if it is a crime to be rich. Am I not supposed to have a business, because I am a police officer? But I know that a police officer who is a millionaire is not easily corruptible. Often I am being asked why am I still in the police even though I am a millionaire,” Khan said.
Daily News