Free speech at issue in top cop Jeremy Vearey s disciplinary case - experts
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Cape Town - As the fate of top cop Major-General Jeremy Vearey hangs in the balance over a string of Facebook posts, civil society has called the saga problematic as it raises issues of oppression and attacks on free speech.
Vearey was found on May 27 to have brought the name of the police into disrepute for eight Facebook posts between December 7, 2020 and February 25, 2021, which in some cases featured pictures of the national commissioner Khehla Sitole, and links to stories and documents.
In one such example on December 7, 2020, he posted a picture of the police national commissioner with a message that read “Good morning and how is the mind today? Lighting up the shadows.” A linked media report from the daily maverick.co.za Deep Dive: Sitole vs Jacobs”.
Major-General Jeremy Vearey, the Western Cape detective head, has been fired after being found guilty of misconduct for ’disrespectful’ social media. Police Minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, confirmed that Cele had also been informed.