Cape Town - Police Minister Bheki Cele has accused EFF leader Julius Malema of plotting to remove him from his position.
Cele told the sitting of Parliament, during the debate on the State of the Nation Address, that Malema had allegedly met with National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole on December 10 where they hatched a plan to oust him.
Malema told Cele to repeat the allegation outside where he did not enjoy parliamentary privilege.
Cele said he would repeat his statement on Friday when he released the crime statistics.
Malema, during his speech, slammed Cele for the tensions between him and Sitole.
Malema called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Cele.
He said Cele should not have been appointed minister because he had served as police commissioner a few years earlier, and this had created tensions between him and Sitole.
But Cele hit back, accusing Malema of plotting with the national commissioner to oust him at the December 10 meeting at the SAPS College in Pretoria. He said that was why Malema wanted him to be removed from Cabinet.
“I am not surprised that he comes here, he changes the Cabinet that he does not have. The honourable Malema will have to wait, win elections, have a Cabinet and appoint a Cabinet and don’t appoint a Cabinet of other presidents. You have to wait. Maybe the time will come.
“I won’t go back to the 10th of December where there was a meeting between yourself and the National Commissioner and the plan and the plot was hatched that I must be chased. I am not surprised that today this is happening.
“But as a leader of the opposition he has a right to make the suggestion, but what I don’t want I don’t like to be patronised. If you don’t want me as minister say so, don’t put me in other places because it’s not your job and duty to do so,” Cele said.