Major-General Jeremy Vearey File picture: Cindy Waxa/African News Agency (ANA) Major-General Jeremy Vearey File picture: Cindy Waxa/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town – Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s office will launch an investigation into alleged political interference in the appointment of a Western Cape police commissioner, her spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe, confirmed yesterday.
He said their office would assign an investigator to the case in due course.
“We have accepted the jurisdiction. The matter involves an organ of the state. As soon as we get the file it will be allocated to the relevant branch, which will then allocate the matter to an investigator,” said Segalwe.
This comes after the police's national commissioner, Khehla Sitole, ordered that the vacancy be withdrawn and readvertised.
His decision came after Major-General Jeremy Vearey, the province’s head of detectives and a front runner to take over as provincial police commissioner, had lodged an official complaint with Sitole after he did not make the shortlist for the province's top job.
According to Vearey’s complaint, he didn't make the cut because he had allegedly not included proof of his qualifications, which he disputed.
Vearey yesterday would not confirm whether he had reapplied for the position.
“I cannot comment on the appointment matter or the call to investigate what has been called political interference,” he said.
Community safety MEC Albert Fritz lodged a formal complaint to the provincial public protector’s office against Sitole, citing interference in the recruitment processes.
According to Fritz, Sune Griessel, the Western Cape public protector’s representative, responded last Friday to the complaint and said: “We herewith wish to acknowledge receipt of your complaint and herewith inform you that your matter has been transferred to our national office in Pretoria for their further handling.”