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Cele sues Sowetan for defamation

National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele is suing the Sowetan newspaper for defamation, in a case that is set to be heard at the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday at 10:00. Cele is suing over a picture that the Sowetan published of him on 6 July, 2007 wearing a trenchcoat, hat, and carrying a rifle. The accompanying story had the headline "Police must aim for the head" and stated that the police had killed eight suspects since Cele had made the statement 10 days previously. Cele's lawyers will argue that the picture was "superimposed" and showed their client as a "man of arms". It is not yet clear when Cele initiated the defamation case, but he is claiming R200,000 in damages. Read more: The Sowetan

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