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- The city of Cape Town will go to court to prevent the police from interfering in the filming of the film.
- The district attorney says Cele ordered 16 police officers to shut down a movie shoot in Camps Bay Beach on Wednesday.
- Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato says Cele does not have the authority to instruct a police officer because he is no longer the police commissioner.
The city of Cape Town will approach the Western Cape Superior Court on Friday to request an injunction to prevent police from continuing to “illegally interfere” with legitimate film shootings in the city.
According to the district attorney, Police Minister Bheki Cele ordered 16 police officers to shut down a movie shoot in Camps Bay Beach on Wednesday, even though the film crew was in possession of a permit from the city of Ciudad del Cabo, News24 previously reported.
Cele was reported to have said that although the city of Cape Town allowed the filming, upon closer inspection, it did not comply with Covid-19 regulations related to beaches.
The Police Minister, Bheki Cele, and the MMC for Security and Protection, Jean-Pierre Smith, clashed during the shooting of a movie on the beach in Camps Bay.
“Yesterday’s intimidation tactics by National Police Minister Bheki Cele to shut down a legitimate and authorized film shoot in Camps Bay Beach has resulted in the immediate cancellation of 11 additional film shoots for fear of further losses financial if the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“Bheki Cele is not the national [police] commissioner plus – he was fired from that position in 2012 and is now a minister, who has no authority to instruct a police officer, “Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said in a statement Thursday.
READ | Cape Town threatens legal action after Cele closes shooting on Camps Bay beach
Plato added that he would write to President Cyril Ramaphosa to ask if he supported the minister’s “destructive and illegal behavior and, if not, what action he plans to take to address his minister’s intimidation tactics.”
“The illegal conduct of Minister Cele includes issuing instructions to SAPS operational personnel, for which he has no authority. This matter has also been reported to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee,” he said.
According to the mayor, the 11 productions notified the city of Cape Town that they would cancel their shootings and each was estimated to cost a minimum of R1.2 million.
“These costs do not include hotels, flights, and other costs for hundreds of film crews and support personnel, who adhere to the strictest Covid-19 security protocols, as the industry slowly recovers after months of lockdown.” , said. said.
The mayor also said the city was a conducive environment for local and international film crews who loved visiting Cape Town’s shores, adding that the city would not allow “illegal behavior to change this.”
“Instead of patrolling the beaches with heavily armed police and intimidating innocent beachgoers, the national police minister should be in our communities most affected by crime, making sure that gangsters are caught and put behind bars, doing our safer communities, “Plato said.
News24 reached out to Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba seeking comment. The comment will be added once received.
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