Divisions within the police came under the spotlight during top cop Jeremy Vearey’s case to challenge against his dismissal.
He was fired from his job in May following an internal “expeditious” hearing into Facebook posts he made in support of a colleague were viewed by some police officers as threatening.
Vearey told the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council hearing that he was also now facing a combined lawsuit of R15 million from crime intelligence officers, Mzwandile Tiyo and Feroz Khan over comments they alleged damaged their reputation.
Khan is suing for R5 million while Tiyo is claiming R10 million in relation to information contained in Vearey's latest book, Into Dark Water: A Police Memoir.
In an interview shortly after he was fired, Vearey said the internal hearing which led to his dismissal was instigated by provincial Crime Intelligence head Tiyo who circulated an English translation of the contentious MOER HULLE! post.
The words appeared together with a media article on former national Crime Intelligence head, Peter Jacobs.
They were translated by an online function into “f**k them” and Vearey maintained during the hearing that the message was not intended to incite violence as alleged by some police officers.
Vearey maintained that he used the words moer hulle in his dialect, Afrikaaps.
“The intention of my Facebook post (on 25 February ) was to provide context and enable people to think about it in a balanced way - to invite a contemplative thinking about issues which were already in the public domain as there were various sources presented,” he said under cross-examination.
Vearey said he regarded it as his “duty” as the national SAPS instruction allowed him to do so, to comment on what was in the public domain posted “rhetorical questions” and declaratory statements.
He was questioned on the interpretation that his Facebook followers could have derived from the posts.
“None of the comments by the followers reflect that they construed the posts as inciting violence. To me, that reflected maturity on their part. They understand that I was not talking about the organisation but rather individuals,” he said.
In a response to a question why he posted a photograph of National Police Commissioner, Khehla Sitole and not dealt with issues internally Vearey said the photographs were contained in the media articles and were not originated by him.
He also told the hearing that he had registered several grievances about “several” matters which he did not agree with and “that route had been exhausted”.
“After Gen Sitole assumed his position as national Commissioner he came down to find out what could be done to deal with challenges in the province and I told him at the time that we were dealing with tribalism.”
Vearey also told the hearing that he did not believe that the “expeditious” process was the route that should have been taken in dealing with his case as no evidence was led and no “impartiality” was exercised.
“It was a kangaroo court and not a normal process,” he added.
He also told the hearing that he along with other police officers “suffered years of abuse” and described this as “ethno-tribalistic” conduct.
“I was once told that the police service cannot have two coloureds at head office. But it’s a bureaucratic minority that believes so and not the organisation,” said Vearey.
State legal representative, advocate Omphemetse Mooki SC, who cross-examined Vearey, argued that Vearey had “failed his office”.
“As a senior officer within the SAPS in the remarks that you made about both the SAPS and the national commissioner, it will be intolerable, notwithstanding your sterling work, for you to remain an officer within the SAPS,” said Mooki.
However, Vearey rejected the argument and said the national commissioner himself had a court judgment against him as well as “all his deputies”.
“Despite many police members being on trial for corruption and several allegations against them, they are still receiving their monthly salary,” Vearey said.
The matter is expected to be finalised by November.