Former Police commissioner and minister, Bheki Cele, testified before the TRC Cases Inquiry on Tuesday, where he revealed that he never interacted with TRC matters during his time as the national police commissioner between 2008 and 2011.
Former National Police commissioner and minister of Police, Bheki Cele, has defended his role in refusing to pay for the legal fees of the former apartheid security branch officials.
Speaking during his testimony before the TRC Cases Inquiry on Tuesday, Cele expressed a deep reluctance rooted in his personal experiences during a turbulent time in South Africa's history, where he witnessed the devastating consequences of apartheid on his comrades and community.
The inquiry is investigating allegations that post-apartheid officials from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) may have improperly colluded with politicians to hinder investigations into TRC-related cases.
Cele explained that his reluctance stemmed from his lived experiences, where anti-apartheid activists were killed and tortured by the same people who were now seeking funding from the democratic government during his tenure as the Minister of Police between 2018 and 2024.
