In a decisive move to address escalating concerns within South Africa’s police ministry, President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe as the acting Minister of Police, effective immediately as of Tuesday evening,Cape {town} Etcreports.
This temporary appointment comes as allegations of misconduct and malfeasance involving high-ranking officials cast a shadow over the law enforcement agency.
Mantashe’s role will be short-lived as he is slated to hold the position until Professor Firoz Cachalia steps into the role at the beginning of August.
Cachalia, who has spent most of his career in academia, is poised to take the reins following his retirement from the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of this month.
His appointment was previously announced by Ramaphosa during a televised address on Sunday.
The political landscape is particularly volatile at present, with serious allegations surfacing against former Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. In a stark revelation, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, claimed a powerful criminal syndicate has infiltrated South Africa’s law enforcement and judicial systems.
Mkhwanazi went one step further, accusing Mchunu of meddling in sensitive cases and colluding with a businessman accused of murder, aiming to dismantle the task force investigating a spate of political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.
In light of these explosive allegations, President Ramaphosa has taken decisive action, placing Mchunu on special leave while also initiating a judicial commission of inquiry to be led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
The commission is tasked with investigating claims of interference in investigations, complicity among government officials, and the suppression of crucial law enforcement activities.
Mchunu, embroiled in controversy over the past week, has been accused by Mkhwanazi of being entwined with drug cartels and influential business concerns.
Among the allegations presented was an assertion that Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, deputy national commissioner for crime detection, colluded with Mchunu and a known information dealer, Brown Mogotsi, in a plot to disband the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team.
Police Commissioner Masemola announced that Sibiya would also be requesting a leave of absence while investigations unfold, indicating a stern approach to restoring integrity within the police service.
Source: Newzimbabwe
