Ramaphosa appoints Gwede Mantashe as acting police minister

Mantashe will serve in his new role until law professor Feroz Cachalia assumes the position in August.

ANC National chairperson and Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe. Picture: Gallo Images/Deaan Vivier

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe has been appointed as the acting Minister of Police, effective immediately.

President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Tuesday night.

“Minister Mantashe will serve in this capacity until Professor 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,” said Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.

“Minister Mantashe will retain his responsibilities as Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.”

Acting police minister

Ramaphosa announced Cachalia’s appointment as acting police minister on Sunday night after placing police minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave.

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Cachalia, born in Benoni on 22 July 1958, is a globally-regarded scholar, Professor of Law at Wits University, and director of the Mandela Institute. His expertise spans constitutional law and other areas of specialisation.

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Formerly an anti-apartheid activist in the Transvaal, he first joined the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 1994, representing the ANC as Speaker of the provincial legislature from 1999 to 2004.

Explosive allegations

The move follows a series of explosive allegations of political interference and criminal infiltration of police operations made by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

At a press conference last week, Mkhwanazi alleged political interference in police operations, claiming that Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, had meddled.

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These allegations reportedly include issuing letters to disband a task force, halting crime intelligence appointments and withdrawing case dockets to Sibiya’s office.

Police crisis

There has been a crisis in the aftermath, including Ramaphosa announcing a commission of inquiry headed by acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga to probe Mkhwanazi’s claims.

Sibiya has since been placed on leave as well.

Ramaphosa said on Monday that it is “necessary” to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations against Mchunu, in order to “safeguard public confidence in the police service” and end the era of state capture that has plagued the country.

Mchunu and Sibiya have denied the allegations against them.

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