Pretoria - The public hearings into allegations of misconduct by suspended National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele are to start today.
The hearings will give members of the public an opportunity to disclose information they may have on the allegations of misconduct against Cele to the Board of Inquiry.
The board is looking into allegations of misconduct by Cele, or his fitness for the office, or his capacity to execute his duties efficiently. This is in relation to the procurement of office space for police in Pretoria and Durban, and Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's findings regarding these deals.
During her investigation into the lease agreements, Madonsela found that Cele's conduct as SAPS' accounting officer was improper and unlawful, which amounted to maladministration.
In November last year President Jacob Zuma announced the establishment of the Board of Inquiry to probe the allegations.
The board is mandated to enquire into whether Cele acted corruptly, or whether he, in relation to the processes leading up to the conclusion of leases for the SAPS at the Middestad building in Pretoria and the Transnet building in Durban, failed to prevent the contravention of the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999, among others.
The board's spokesperson Bongiwe Gambu said the hearings would start at 10am and were expected to end at 4pm daily.
Cele is expected to be represented by his counsel while there will be witnesses and cross-examination during the course of the hearings.
"The Board of Inquiry hereby invites any person or organization possessing such information relating to the above issues to disclose such information to the Board of Inquiry to facilitate its resolution of the abovementioned issues and/or to present such evidence during the hearing scheduled to commence during early March 2012," Gambu said.
Information or evidence must be set out in an affidavit, to be supplied to the Secretary of the Board by registered mail at: The Secretariat, Board of Enquiry, PO Box 7078 Pretoria 0001.
Submissions can also be made by hand at: 226 Andries street, Die Meent building, 8th floor, corner Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Email submissions can be sent to: etsatsi@justice.gov.za
