Bheki Cele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bheki Cele
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Cele at a press conference in June 2010
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| Minister of Police | |
| In office 26 February 2018 – 17 June 2024 |
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| President | Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Preceded by | Fikile Mbalula |
| Succeeded by | Senzo Mchunu |
| Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | |
| In office 26 May 2014 – 24 February 2018 |
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| President | Jacob Zuma Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Minister | Senzeni Zokwana |
| Preceded by | Pieter Mulder |
| National Commissioner of the South African Police Service | |
| In office July 2009 – October 2011 |
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| President | Jacob Zuma |
| Minister | Nathi Mthethwa |
| Preceded by | Jackie Selebi |
| Succeeded by | Riah Phiyega |
| Deputy Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal | |
| In office 1996–1998 |
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| Provincial Chairperson | Jacob Zuma |
| Provincial Secretary | Sipho Gcabashe |
| Preceded by | Sifiso Nkabinde |
| Succeeded by | Senzo Mchunu |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bhekokwakhe Hamilton Cele
22 April 1952 Umzumbe, Natal, Union of South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Spouses |
Thando Ngcobo
(divorced)Thembeka Ngcobo
(m. 2010) |
| Occupation |
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| Profession | Teacher |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Union of South Africa |
| Branch/service | Umkhonto We Sizwe |
| Years of service | 1984 – 1994 |
| Unit | Underground unit |
| Commands | South African National Defence Force |
| Police career | |
| Department | South African Police Service Department of Police (South Africa) |
| Years of service | 2009 – present |
| Rank | General Commissioner |
Bhekokwakhe "Bheki" Hamilton Cele (born 22 April 1952) was the South African Minister of Police from February 2018 to 17 June 2024. He was National Commissioner of the South African Police Service for two years, until misconduct allegations led to his suspension in October 2011 and removal in June 2012. He has also served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council, and in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature. He is a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, and was imprisoned on Robben Island during apartheid.
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Life and career
Cele was born on 22 April 1952 in Umzumbe, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal). He holds a teacher's diploma, and in 1980 became a founding member of the progressive, non-racial National Education Union of South Africa. In exile in Angola in the mid-1980s, he joined Umkhonto we Sizwe, and he was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1987 until he was released, along with other political prisoners, in 1990.
1994-2009: KwaZulu-Natal government
In the 1994 elections, Cele was elected to the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature. During his time in the legislature, he served as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security and later as the chairperson of chairpersons. From 2004, he was member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison in KwaZulu-Natal.
2009-present: National government
In July 2009, he was appointed National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS). He was fired in June 2012, following allegations that he had been involved in unlawful property deals. Thereafter, he was Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from May 2014 until late February 2018, when President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him Minister of Police in his first cabinet reshuffle. Reaction to Cele's appointment was mixed. He was reappointed as police minister following the 2019 general election. Cele lost his seat in the National Assembly at the 2024 general election.
ANC membership
Cele remains a member of the African National Congress (ANC), and currently serves in its chief executive organ, the National Executive Committee. For a period in the mid-1990s, he was safety and security spokesman for the party's KwaZulu-Natal branch, and in the 2000s he served as party chairman in the eThekwini region. In the 2000s, Cele was characterised as an ally of Jacob Zuma. However, during the hotly contested ANC leadership elections of 2017, he aligned himself with Cyril Ramaphosa and against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
