Today, 24 July 2023, DA Shadow Minister of Police, Andrew Whitfield MP, will be laying criminal charges against Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola.
The charges are in connection with the illegal possession of spy equipment, known as “grabbers,” by the South African Police Service (SAPS). In a recent revelation, Minister Cele admitted that the SAPS unlawfully purchased grabbers without obtaining the required certificate of exemption under the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA) from the Minister of Justice. The possession of such equipment without a valid exemption certificate constitutes a criminal offence, as confirmed by the Minister of Justice himself.
According to the RICA Act, the possession, sale, purchase, or advertisement of listed equipment like the grabbers is strictly prohibited. As leaders of SAPS, Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola knowingly allowed this criminal offence to occur, undermining the rule of law and compromising the privacy rights of every South African.
The charges will be laid this morning at the Cape Town Central Police Station.
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