UPDATE: Lowvelder has since confirmed that the suspension referred to in the text below has been set aside by a means of a court order.

Minutes after Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela stepped off the red carpet after leading a formal procession during the opening of parliament at the State of the Province Address (Sopa) in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, she was carted away to her office by senior policemen.

When she arrived at her office, she was met by an entourage led by General Fannie Masemola, the national police commissioner. Masemola informed her that she had been suspended as provincial police commisioner with immediate effect.

Her suspension comes after Lowvelder and other media houses had reported about allegations of serious maladministration, possible corruption and fraud, as well as misuse of her powers as police commissioner on intimated members.

The Lowvelder based its article on a leaked forensic audit drafted by Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela, a former provincial police commissioner.

The forensic audit by The iFirm, a company owned by Ntobela, was done after he had been approached by several frustrated senior police officers working under Manamela. To sustain their complaints, they submitted a vast number of official documents indicating alleged ‘dodgy actions’ by Manamela.

After compiling the forensic document, Ntobela personally handed it over to the national police commissioner.

According to informed sources close to Manamela, although she was aware that an investigation was done by Wachthuis, the police headquarters in Pretoria, and that it was based on Ntobela’s report, she had no idea what was about to hit her after Sopa.

While Manamela was getting ready for the parade on the red carpet, unknowing that this would be her last official duty as police commissioner, Masemola was on his way to the province. Shortly before Sopa started, Masemola and three generals landed at the old Nelspruit airfield in a SAPS Pilatus PC-12. SAPS’s airwing is based here.

The newspaper recently published information that indicted that an internal investigation into Manamela’s actions as police commissioner was launched after the damning forensic report surfaced in which she was fingered in the alleged maladministration, nepotism, abuse of power as the top cop in the province and alleged corruption.

The report alleged that Manamela, shortly after her arrival in the province in June 2021, insisted that ‘welcoming functions’ must be arranged for her by the districts under her command. She allegedly also insisted on receiving gifts at these functions.

Ntobela found among other things that, according to official documentation handed to him, Manamela had allegedly personally approved a request from a senior officer to collect funds from the various polices stations in the province to host her welcoming functions.

It is alleged that more than R1.7m were collected, from the stations’ tea club funds, to pay for three functions and some gifts to the speakers. Tea club funds are mainly used to ensure prisoners and arrested persons are fed.

According to an annexure to the report about which police stations had made donations, and of which the newspaper saw a copy, the five biggest donations range from R100 000 to R200 000. The five police stations that donated these amounts are Barberton, Elukwatini, Piet Retief, Tonga and Witbank.

The report suggests that the welcoming functions were disguised under the pretence of having gender-based violence prayer days. Manamela was invited as guest speaker. It was during these functions that she was allegedly gifted.

Some of her alleged gifts that she did not declare include:

• A voucher for R150 000 at a function at The Ridge Casino in eMalahleni.
• A voucher for furniture bought at Osha A2Z Home Decor in Middelburg for R60 000, as well as a voucher for UFO Furniture for R35 000. This amount was later allegedly exchanged for cash.

When articles appeared in the media, Manamela applied for a court order against Riot Hlatshwayo, a journalist for Rio-Jab Media, as well as against Ntobela.

However, the magistrate refused to grant an order and the case was postponed to May 17. It is unclear, in light of her suspension, if she will continue with her application. Efforts to reach her for comment proved unsuccessful.

Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi was appointed as acting police commissioner.