Ramaphosa appoints Gwede Mantashe as acting Police Minister
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe as Acting Minister of Police, with immediate effect.
The appointment comes as the country awaits the arrival of Professor Firoz Cachalia, who will formally assume the police portfolio at the beginning of August.
In a statement issued by the Presidency, Ramaphosa confirmed that Minister Mantashe will temporarily also lead the Police Ministry while retaining his current ministerial responsibilities.
“Minister Mantashe will serve in this capacity until Prof Firoz Cachalia, who will retire from his position at the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of this month, assumes his position at the start of August."
The acting appointment follows the decision to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave pending the outcome of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into serious allegations involving the SAPS Crime Intelligence Division.
The Inquiry, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was announced earlier this month after explosive claims by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
While Cachalia's appointment has been welcomed by civil society due to his anti-corruption credentials, some opposition parties have raised questions over his eligibility because of his non-parliamentary status.
Mantashe is expected to oversee the ministry in an acting capacity during a turbulent time for law enforcement, with public trust in the SAPS at record lows and scrutiny over police leadership mounting.
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