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- Western Cape detectives boss Jeremy Vearey has been found guilty of misconduct.
- He was charged in March over a selection of Facebook posts which the police alleged were disrespectful to top cop Khehla Sitole.
- A disciplinary hearing resulted in a recommendation that he be fired.
Western Cape detectives head, Major-General Jeremy Vearey, has been found guilty of misconduct for "disrespectful" social media posts allegedly aimed at top cop Khehla Sitole.
Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga - who chaired a disciplinary process into the matter - recommended that Vearey be dismissed.
READ | Western Cape top cop faces misconduct probe over 'disrespectful' social media posts about Sitole
It's understood that this sanction would need to be confirmed by Sitole as national commissioner and, if so, Vearey would be given his marching orders.
In March, Vearey was notified of an investigation into his Facebook presence and posts that allegedly denigrated Sitole's name.
"You allegedly brought the name of the employer into disrepute by posting images and messages and causing same to be circulated through social media...
"[The posts] were intended to degrade the leadership of the South African Police Service and/or disrespect the authority of the national commissioner," it reads.
Over three days between April and May, Vearey was subjected to an "expeditious" disciplinary process on misconduct charges for a raft of Facebook posts.
The police contended that Vearey's posts, which were predominately shared links to news articles about the disciplinary action against former Crime Intelligence boss Peter Jacobs, had been intended to harm Sitole's image.
Vearey, it's understood, denied impropriety, and said his social media activity was being misinterpreted.
On Thursday, Vearey was found guilty of misconduct and Ntshinga made a recommendation that he be fired. He could not be reached for comment at the time of publishing.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, said: "Please allow me to reiterate that the SAPS does not provide details of any internal processes of the police in the public domain. However, we may consider issuing a media statement depending on the outcome of disciplinary matters.
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