All six of the municipal police chiefs say they support embattled police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
The chiefs — Robert McBride from Ekurhuleni (East Rand), Eugene Ngeme from Ethekwini (Durban), Hlula Msimanga from Tshwane (Pretoria), Bongane Jonas from Cape Town, Chris Ngcobo from Johannesburg, and district municipality police chief Rob Young from Swartland in the Western Cape — issued a joint statement of support on Thursday and the sixth, in Johannesburg, later confirmed his support.
”The five metro police chiefs, in sharing in the sentiments conveyed by the nine provincial police commissioners, wish to state emphatically that they have absolute confidence in the leadership and the integrity of the police [National] Commissioner, Selebi,” said the statement.
McBride said that the Johannesburg metro police had not supported the statement, but Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar denied this.
”Chris Ngcobo, who is the chief of police of the Johannesburg metro police department and is also the chairman of the National Metropolitan Police Chiefs Forum of SA, has said that he fully supports Jackie Selebi as the national Commissioner of Police of SA,” said Minnaar.
”We commend the office of the [National] Commissioner of police for remaining unfazed in the face of the scurrilous statements which have been bandied around in the recent weeks,” said the police chiefs, praising him for not engaging in a public spat despite the ”outrageous and unsubstantiated allegations levelled against him”.
They said they were confident Selebi would be vindicated.
McBride said that he had personally worked with Selebi and regarded him as ”a person of absolute integrity”.
McBride said the issue was not Selebi’s friendship with Glen Agliotti, who is accused of involvement in the murder of businessman Brett Kebble.
”We’re saying the type of allegations made against him [Selebi] are without substance.” – Sapa