Police Minister Bheki Cele said he received information on the identities of the 12 instigators of the July unrest from a member of the public.

On Monday, Cele told the South African Human Rights Commission's hearing into the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng that he usually received information from members of the public because his contact number was available on the internet.

"I have a phone number that is on the internet. It irritates, but it helps because you really do get things that you wouldn't if your number wasn't known. Somebody came to brief me, especially on the people who were pushing this on the internet," Cele said.

Some of the alleged social media accounts included Twitter user "Sphithiphithi Evaluator", who has since been unmasked in court as Zamaswazi Majozi.

She was arrested last year and charged with incitement to commit violence.

"I was briefed and given correspondence [from social media]. I tried to verify with authentic structures … unfortunately, it could not be verified even after I requested it. The question of 12 instigators comes from that briefing. And, most of those people have been arrested now."

Cele said 19 people had been arrested for allegedly instigating the unrest. Two of the cases were withdrawn and the others were still before the courts.

Asked whether he shared the information with national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole, Cele said: "No, it was not shared with the national commissioner. It was definitely shared with the Hawks to look into the information and the individuals.

"Maybe one reason is that in those days one was working more with the deputies rather than the national commissioner."

Earlier in the day, Cele told the commission he had been shut out of Crime Intelligence briefings.

He told the commission he had only received the intelligence report warning of possible violence on 3 December.  This was after he first appeared at the commission and five months after the unrest had happened.

Cele said he had also received advice from a member of the public to not go to former president Jacob Zuma's home in Nkandla.

"The person said, 'Don't dare go there because of the number of people over there who were armed'. He said they would be very happy to make me their trophy, and I did not go, but the provincial commissioner [Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi] did go.

"There was free shooting. People were carrying big guns. I realised that it would have been very dangerous to have gone there. That information came from an ordinary South African," Cele said.

He said if Mkhwanazi had not gone to Nkandla, things would have gotten out of control.

"There were pockets of excellence with the SAPS. Mkhwanazi on the ground in Nkandla. If he was not there, the situation was going to be bad. For him being there and taking decisions on the ground. I guess if many top management [members] had been present, it would have eased some situations."

Cele said Sitole was "nowhere to be seen" during the unrest. He said while he had visited several areas that had been affected by the violence, Sitole never had.

"I can authoritatively say those engagements work, especially in KZN. Working from the office would not have helped to… try and enhance the work of the police, to engage the communities. I take it from the 4th [of July], which was one of the toughest days in the movement of people from other provinces to Nkandla," he added.

Cele said he called Sitole on 7 July and had asked that they work together from the KwaZulu-Natal police headquarters, but he never did.