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- Police Minister Bheki Cele says the DA is "crying at the wrong funeral" when calling for the devolution of police powers.
- The DA in the Western Cape is pushing its Provincial Powers Bill, which will see certain functions devolve from the national to the provincial government.
- For several months, the party has advocated for the devolution of policing powers to the provincial government and municipality.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has yet again snuffed out the DA's hopes to have the powers of the police devolved to the Western Cape government.
This as the DA in the province pushes its Provincial Powers Bill as part of its plans to expand federal autonomy for capable provincial and local governments and to empower them to manage devolved functions from the national government.
The bill will see the party devolve certain functions from the national to provincial government.
These include policing, public transport, municipal public transport, energy, electricity generation, transmission and reticulation.
But Cele remained adamant he had no powers to transfer to the DA.
"They want to pass their Provincial Powers Bill taking many national powers, including transport and police.
He told News24 on Wednesday:
Cele said this following a police briefing in Tshwane on the recent attacks on freight trucks in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng.
He added the DA should consult with Justice Minister Ronald Lamola.
"They should be going to the minister of justice, who is responsible for constitutional change and development because the matter they are raising is a constitutional matter," Cele said.
In May, the DA introduced the bill as part of its commitment to expand federal autonomy for capable provincial and local governments and to empower them to manage devolved functions from the national government.
For several months, the party has advocated for the devolution of policing powers to the provincial government and municipality.
READ | Four more trucks torched in Mpumalanga, bringing the total to 20 over the last few days
Both Cele and President Cyril Ramaphosa have repeatedly stated the police was a national government competency.
Responding to Cele, the DA's federal chairperson, Dr Ivan Meyer, said: "The bill is open for public comment, and we welcome all comments.
"We are confident that the Western Cape provincial parliament will approve the bill and become an act of the Western Cape.
"The assignment of functions will be the next step in line with the functional areas defined in the powers bill."
Meyer added the bill had nothing to do with the Department of Justice.
"Bheki Cele has no clue how government and lawmaking work.
"This just demonstrates the main assumption of the bill, namely national incompetence, is the rationale for devolving powers to provinces and municipalities," he said.
