[6] An anti-apartheid activist in his youth, Selebi was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and a political ally of former President Thabo Mbeki.
[2] He spent time in exile in the Soviet Union and in Tanzania, where he taught at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College,[2] and was a representative of the left-wing World Federation of Democratic Youth from 1983 to 1987.
In that capacity, he chaired the 1997 Oslo Conference on an International Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Land Mines, at which the Ottawa Treaty was concluded.
[17] In 2000, newly elected President Thabo Mbeki appointed him National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
He was also put on "extended leave" by Mbeki, reportedly at his own request – effectively, he was suspended, and Tim Williams was appointed acting National Commissioner.
[25] After serving fewer than 250 days of his sentence, he was granted medical parole in July 2012, on the grounds that he had end-stage renal failure.
[2] In January 2007, Selebi was criticised for his response to a question from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts about police training ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
"[27] In March 2007, Selebi suggested to a parliamentary committee that prostitution and public drinking should be legalised for the duration of the 2010 World Cup, in order to reduce the policing burden.
[7] The investigation concerned, among other things, Selebi's relationship with Glenn Agliotti, who in 2006 pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and was charged with Kebble's murder (he was acquitted in November 2010).
[7][42] In January 2008, the chief prosecutor in the case, Gerrie Nel of the Scorpions, was arrested at his home, apparently for unrelated charges.
[45] He claimed that the charges against him were part of a political conspiracy[9] – driven in particular by former members of the Scorpions[22] – and that evidence against him had been fabricated by Pikoli and Bulelani Ngcuka of the NPA,[45] both of whom he implicated in corrupt activities of their own.
Judge Meyer Joffe of the Johannesburg High Court said that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Selebi had accepted money in exchange for favours.
[3] He said that Selebi had furthermore shown "complete contempt for the truth" and "low moral fibre," including by falsely accusing a witness of lying during the trial.
[57][4] In the sentencing hearing, Judge Joffe said that Selebi had showed no remorse, had lied in court,[44] and was "an embarrassment to all right-thinking citizens of South Africa.
"[60] The Scorpions were disbanded in 2008, with at least some commentators linking the decision to the unit's investigations into and cases against Selebi and Jacob Zuma, another prominent ANC politician.
[10][11] The court proceedings also uncovered accusations that Mulangi Mphego, who was head of Crime Intelligence at the time, had intervened in the case to obtain Agliotti's testimony by illegitimate means.