INSTRUCTIONS to police to "aim for the head" in their fight against criminals did not necessarily mean to kill.
Suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele said this in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday.
Cele is suing Sowetan for defamation. He claims that a manufactured picture of him carrying a gun on July 7 2007 had injured his person. He also said articles written about him in the newspaper were not balanced.
"The statement 'aim for the head' was made after a police officer died. He was chasing the criminal and shot him in the leg and when he (officer) approached the suspect he was then shot and killed," Cele said.
"If the police officer had aimed for the head, the suspect and not the officer would have been buried instead."
Cele, on a number of occasions, appeared to be irked by advocate Hamilton Maenetje's questions.
Maenetje was leading the defence's legal team. Cele would occasionally take a sip of water.
"You don't know what I was trained for," he stormed when Maenetje asked him if he was ever taught about the use of a gun during his time as a member of Mkhonto we Sizwe.
Cele told the court that Sowetan was unbalanced in its reporting about him.
"In addition to the doctored picture of me, I found them to be unbalanced."
Maenetje then put it to him that The Citizen newspaper had also ran a number of stories in which he was said to have used the words "shoot to kill". But, Cele said it was not only the articles that bothered him, but the picture of him carrying a rifle.
He also admitted that the state had been paying for his legal fees.
"The (KwaZulu-Natal) Department of Transport, Safety and Security was paying for me and I assume that they are still paying."
Cele also said the article that implied that he ordered police to kill eight people was wrong and unbalanced.
"The picture is but one of the things that made me sue. The articles and the subheading where it was stated that I ordered the police to kill the suspects was also considered," he said.
Cele said the article, which implied that he ordered police to kill eight people was wrong and unbalanced. "Political heads of police do not command police officers. The article implied that I ordered the police to shoot those people, but that was simply not true," he said.
He also said he would be in prison for genocide if he had ordered the killing of "all" criminals as had allegedly been suggested.
- Cele's hearing following his suspension is due to start on February 13.
Police chief cops told to aim for the head.. not shoot to kill
INSTRUCTIONS to police to "aim for the head" in their fight against criminals did not necessarily mean to kill.
Suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele said this in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday.
Cele is suing Sowetan for defamation. He claims that a manufactured picture of him carrying a gun on July 7 2007 had injured his person. He also said articles written about him in the newspaper were not balanced.
"The statement 'aim for the head' was made after a police officer died. He was chasing the criminal and shot him in the leg and when he (officer) approached the suspect he was then shot and killed," Cele said.
"If the police officer had aimed for the head, the suspect and not the officer would have been buried instead."
Cele, on a number of occasions, appeared to be irked by advocate Hamilton Maenetje's questions.
Maenetje was leading the defence's legal team. Cele would occasionally take a sip of water.
"You don't know what I was trained for," he stormed when Maenetje asked him if he was ever taught about the use of a gun during his time as a member of Mkhonto we Sizwe.
Cele told the court that Sowetan was unbalanced in its reporting about him.
"In addition to the doctored picture of me, I found them to be unbalanced."
Maenetje then put it to him that The Citizen newspaper had also ran a number of stories in which he was said to have used the words "shoot to kill". But, Cele said it was not only the articles that bothered him, but the picture of him carrying a rifle.
He also admitted that the state had been paying for his legal fees.
"The (KwaZulu-Natal) Department of Transport, Safety and Security was paying for me and I assume that they are still paying."
Cele also said the article that implied that he ordered police to kill eight people was wrong and unbalanced.
"The picture is but one of the things that made me sue. The articles and the subheading where it was stated that I ordered the police to kill the suspects was also considered," he said.
Cele said the article, which implied that he ordered police to kill eight people was wrong and unbalanced. "Political heads of police do not command police officers. The article implied that I ordered the police to shoot those people, but that was simply not true," he said.
He also said he would be in prison for genocide if he had ordered the killing of "all" criminals as had allegedly been suggested.
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