Police Minister Bheki Cele is under scrutiny for what appears to be the misuse and abuse of state resources as he arrived at the ANC’s Manifesto Launch in Durban via a SA Police Service helicopter on Saturday morning.
Cele’s helicopter landing at the Moses Mabhida Stadium around 10 am raised eyebrows, especially when he was later observed re-entering the chopper, presumably for surveillance purposes with a bird’s eye view. Subsequently, he was spotted on the main stage alongside other National Executive Committee members of the ANC as President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the manifesto.
Cele had previously indicated that top police management, including General Fannie Masemola and provincial commissioners, were deployed to Durban to ensure the event’s security.
IOL News posted about Cele’s chopper arrival, sparking criticism from readers who accused the minister of abusing state resources.
This incident adds to previous controversies, such as during the Rugby World Cup final in Paris, where taxpayers reportedly covered R450,000 in travel costs for Cele’s executive assistant, with an additional R30,000 spent on the minister himself.
As ANC supporters celebrated a successful turnout at the stadium, some critics accused Cele of exploiting state resources for the benefit of the ANC. Social media users expressed their discontent, with comments such as, “State resources being played with at a political event,” and “Wasteful expenditure, using state resources for personal gains. It’s time he accounts for his reckless actions.”
In Cele’s defense, some users pointed out that the minister, in his capacity as an NEC member of the ANC, is still the police minister and justified his use of state resources by referencing the ministerial handbook, which allows such usage for what it terms “private functions.”