The educational qualification of the minister of police, Bheki Cele, is a teacher’s diploma. His current salary is estimated at around R1,403,000 per year or an average of R117,000 per month. He is currently one of the best-paid officials in the country.
Cele has served as the South African Minister of Police from February 2018 to the present. He previously served as the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service. He was dismissed in June 2012 for misconduct.
Bheki Cele Holds a Certificate in Education
Bhekokwakhe Hamilton Cele’s highest qualification is a diploma in education which he obtained from one of the teachers’ training institutes in the country. He had wanted to study law after his matric, but the death of his father truncated this dream.
He spoke to his late father’s supervisor, asking him for financial assistance, but could not receive any form of help from him to study the course of his choice.
Bheki worked as a school teacher for a good number of years. He served as a teacher in one of the schools in Mbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal province. He was equally a founding member of the progressive, non-racial National Education Union of South Africa.
His journey in the South African political sphere began when he was still teaching. He later retired from teaching at some point to fully focus on politics.
What is Bheki Cele’s Current Salary?
Bheki Cele’s salary is estimated at around R1,403,000 per year, which averages R117,000 per month. Though professionally trained as a teacher, Cele has never served the nation in any educational position. He is known to have received significant earnings as salaries in all the political positions he has served.
Let’s quickly look at all the political offices he has occupied and how much he was paid as a salary.
1. Bheki Cele’s Salary as the Minister of Police
Bheki Cele’s remuneration of around R1,403,000 per year, or an average of R117,000 per month, makes him one of the highest-earning government officials in South Africa. This is in addition to other perks he receives as a top boss.
Cele was appointed to the position of the Minister of Police in February 2018 by Cyril Ramaphosa. His office is saddled with the political responsibility for the Department of Police, including the South African Police Service, the Private Security Industry, the Regulatory Authority, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, and the Civilian Secretariat for Police.
2. Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries
Bheki served as the deputy minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries under Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa from 26th May 2014 to 24th February 2018. The exact amount he earned as a salary per annum for those four years is not public knowledge.
Cele’s role then was to work with his boss in overseeing and supporting South Africa’s agricultural sector and ensuring access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for the country’s population.
3. National Commissioner of the South African Police Service
Bheki served under Jacob Zuma and then-Minister Nathi Selebi as the national commissioner of the South African police from July 2009 to October 2011. As a national commissioner, his office was saddled with the responsibility of protecting, safeguarding, and upholding South African citizens and their property, as well as preventing, combating, and investigating crime.
Cele was also in charge of upholding and executing the law and fostering a climate of safety and security for all South Africans. There is no available record of how much he was paid as a top police boss and other perks he enjoyed due to his exalted position.
Recap of all the Political Offices Bheki Cele has Held
- Minister of Police – Assumed office on 26th February 2018 under President Cyril Ramaphosa
- Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries – served from 26th May 2014 to 24th February 2018 under President Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa
- National Commissioner of the South African Police Service – served from July 2009 to October 2011 under President Jacob Zuma
- Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison in KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature – 2004 to 2008
Bheki Cele’s Net Worth is Estimated at $2 Million
Bheki Cele is reportedly worth $2 million. He amassed his wealth from serving in prestigious government positions, starting from the early 1990s. He was chosen to serve in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Assembly in the 1994 elections. He chaired the portfolio committee on safety and security while he was a legislature member, and he later served as the chair of chairpersons.
He also served in KwaZulu-Executive Natal’s Council (MEC) from 2004 as the MEC for Transportation, Community Safety, and Liaison. He received significant pay throughout the years he served in the provincial legislature. He also has staggering amounts of money stashed in his bank account.
It’s unknown whether the police chief has other businesses that yield additional income for him.
The Police Chief Leads a Modest Lifestyle
Bheki Cele may be one of the well-paid government officials, but he shies away from a fancy lifestyle. In spite of his impressive career, wealth, and status, he has managed to stay down to earth and live like a normal person.
He is pretty frugal in his spending and is hardly seen in designer clothing and bling. The police boss seems to be in a secure financial situation. However, the police ministry was recently criticized for spending more than R8 million on Cele and his deputy over the last four years.
Bheki was particularly slammed for spending taxpayers’ money paying for communication flights to important and unimportant events in the country. He was rather asked to focus on his job and fulfill the purpose he was appointed as a Minister of Police.
He has had His Own Fair Share of Public Scandal
Bheki Cele came under fire in 2011 when Jacob Zuma fired him following an investigation that found R1.7 billion had been improperly spent on building leases, claiming it was money that had been misappropriated and was, therefore, completely illegal.
Mangwashi Phiyega, the nation’s first female police chief, was appointed by Zuma after publicly announcing to the media that he had to remove Cele from his position.
It was established in October of the same year that Cele had been a party to a questionable real estate transaction in which expensive police premises were leased from a business.
The prices were said to be exaggerated while the agreements and corporate headquarters were declared illegal. Even though Cele, who was serving as a police chief, maintained what he did was not illegal, he was ultimately removed from his position.
