Archive photo to illustrate the police. (Photo: GCIS/X)
Col. Thembekile Bennitta Shibiri, the head of the police’s detective branch in Krugersdorp, says Ian Cameron, the chairman of the parliament’s portfolio committee on police, claims about her academic qualifications are untrue.
Cameron said earlier on X, Facebook and Instagram that she was only up to gr. 10 went to school and apparently used a fraudulent matric certificate to make progress in the police.
According to Shibiri, Cameron also told his more than 450,000 followers on the three platforms that Shibiri was being accused of fraud and forgery.
According to Shibiri, the allegations were shared more than 2,000 times and were widely circulated on social media.
Shibiri says Cameron did not, as she usually does with matters within the committee’s mandate, issue an official parliamentary statement.
According to Shibiri, Cameron, as a “senior public representative, has the ability and authority to verify information with the relevant government institutions before it is made public”.
“If he had used the parliamentary researchers at his disposal to inquire with the police leadership, or approached Umalusi and the South African qualifications authority, he would have known that Col. Shibiri has a valid senior certificate and a diploma in policing,” says Mzwake Mbuli, spokesperson for the Shibiri family.
Shibiri says it is insufficient for public representatives to simply use the word “allegedly” when spreading unconfirmed information without verifying it or asking the person concerned to comment.
She accuses Cameron of attacking her integrity based on unconfirmed information and claims his actions damaged her reputation.
Although Shibiri admits that members of parliament have the right and responsibility to hold public officials accountable, she believes that this power must be exercised responsibly.
“This is extremely disappointing action given the responsibility that comes with leading a parliamentary portfolio committee, especially one that oversees policing,” says Mbuli.
According to Mbuli, Shibiri has already had to take leave from her job due to the emotional impact of the allegations.