SAPS IN CRISIS NEWSFLASH
Axed detective boss Jeremy Vearey’s dismissal ‘is fair’, bargaining council rules
At the end of May 2021 Jeremy Vearey was controversially dismissed from the police service. He challenged this, but has failed, with a bargaining council ruling his dismissal was fair and that the relationship between him and the police service cannot be repaired.
Fired Western Cape detective head Jeremy Vearey has failed to overturn National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole’s decision to push ahead with his dismissal.
“The trust relationship between [Vearey, the applicant] and [South African Police Service, the respondent] has broken down irretrievably,” Imthiaz Sirkhot, Safety and Security Bargaining Council arbitrator, ruled on Tuesday, 16 November 2021.
“It would be intolerable for the Applicant to remain in the service of the Respondent. The only sanction that can be imposed is one of dismissal.
“I see no reason to interfere with the sanction of dismissal. The sanction of dismissal is appropriate under the circumstances.”
Sirkhot said Vearey had submitted he should take note that President Cyril Ramaphosa could suspend Sitole, but Sirkhot said the matter he was dealing with was about Vearey and the respondent, the South African Police Service.
Sitole was not listed as a respondent.
He signed off on Vearey’s dismissal, over a series of Facebook posts, at the end of May 2021.
This brought to a halt Vearey’s career in the police service, which started in April 1995.
In the eyes of certain police bosses, Vearey’s most controversial Facebook post included the words “moer hulle” which an online function had translated to “fuck them”.
Vearey himself had not posted the words “fuck them”.
He previously explained he had used “moer hulle” in his dialect, Afrikaaps, and not Afrikaans and that he had meant the words as encouragement.
Vearey had therefore challenged his firing via the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council.
A hearing into his dismissal proceeded fully in August and the part of proceedings involving witness testimony wrapped up in September 2021.
Major-General Jeremy Vearey – seen at the Ministerial Stakeholder Engagement at Hout Bay Sports Field on 8 April 2019 – was fired over a series of Facebook posts. (Photo: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)
This is what culminated in Tuesday’s ruling – that his dismissal was “substantively fair”.
Last month, Daily Maverick reported that despite a ruling not yet being made on Vearey’s firing, the job he was kicked out of was advertised.
The advertisement, dated 29 October 2021, read: “The posts contained in this circular are vacant and are herewith advertised internally for appointment purposes.”
Included in the advertised posts is the position of “Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Crime Detection: Western Cape”.
This was Vearey’s post.
The closing date for applications was 15 November 2021 – a day before the bargaining council’s ruling that his dismissal should not be reversed. DM
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I salute a real policeman and crime fighter,Genl Vearys contributions will always be remembered.The “gangslange” resorted to underhand tactics to stop it being found out who sold the cop guns and who is the kingpins behind it.The corrupt has been defended at the expense of honesty,Sickening,who will be fired next to squash this investigation?The worst is these callous criminals think the SA public does not know what is going on
It is not that they don’t think the public does not know.
They do not care who knows because there are never ever ever any consequences.
These are ruthless criminals. they do not care what you and I think of them. Or who knows what they do.
This is devastating news
The good policemen and women must be in despair – as am I
A dark day indeed
Just another reason why the police are so hated in South Africa. Feel so sorry for the good cops out there. They can’t even translate “Moer Hulle”, (which I 100% support), saying it has the same meaning as “f*** them”. Well, I actually agree with Veary, and “f*** them” is even better than the words he used…for good reason! The correct closest translation of “f*** you” to Afrikaans will be, “F** julle”, but even “Vlieg in julle moer in” will do in this context. Regardless, a true with incredible integrity has been lost because of the crimes he exposed within the police. I guess Cele and all the jokers in the senior ranks of the police will now say: Thank god!…now lets go and f***-up this country even more, and pocket a sh** load of money
Coen, I’m not an Afrikaans speaker but I know what ‘moer hulle’ means because I grew up in the Western Transvaal and got moered a helluva lot.
Don’t worry, this’ll be overturned very quickly on review, of that I have no doubt.
Pity DM deleted my opinion (they possibly do not understand the language of Afrikaans, which is what Vearey was using, possibly due to words used which actual is common knowledge and words amongs Afrikaans-speaking people and especially our coloured folk. Perhaps they should buy a Afrikaans/English dictionary). However, I am in 100% in support of other comments at time of writing
Hopefully this will be overruled. We need Jeremy Veary – desperately – certainly not his criminal bosses who are trying to get rid of him.
Appeal please!!!!