Cele: Shortage of protective gear in police no secret

Police officers are tasked with enforcing the lockdown regulations and are therefore at the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.

Cele’s comments come after an officer attached to the visible policing division in Pretoria tested positive for the virus.

Lobby group AfriForum said on Thursday that the Gauteng police had refused to accept hand sanitiser donated by them.

"One of the biggest challenges across all sectors of society has been the limited supply of the necessary hygienic disposables such as masks and hand gloves, as well as sanitisers that are understandably in high demand worldwide,” Cele said on Thursday.

“The SAPS, whose members are in the coal face of this pandemic, is also facing this same challenge of shortage of protective and hygienic supplies.”

Cele says AfriForum’s donation could not be accepted as it was not approved by Treasury.

"Let me repeat what I said to SAPS management when we were still under a state of disaster. The national crisis we find ourselves in can never be used as justification to flout processes and procedures.”

Cele says AfriForum or any other organisation wishing to assist the police with supplies need to engage them at a national level.

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