New acting police commissioner appointed by Zuma
The controversial Khomotso Phahlane has been given the boot.
Lesetja Mothiba is pictured while talking to members of the media, 18 December 2014, at the Hillbrow Police Station in the Johannesburg CBD on breakthroughs and arrests of suspects linked to mall robberies in the country. Picture: Alaister Russell
It was announced by the presidency on Thursday afternoon that President Jacob Zuma has replaced Phahlane with Lieutenant-General Lesetja Mothiba as the acting head of the SA Police Service (SAPS).
The current commissioner, General Riah Phiyega, has been on suspension since October 2015.
Phahlane has faced scandals of his own during his tenure as acting boss following allegations of impropriety around the purchase of his home and improvements on it. He has been the subject of an Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigation.
Mothiba was previously the Gauteng police commissioner before being redeployed to a new management intervention unit in the SAPS’s head office.
He is a career policeman with more than 30 years of police experience.
Lieutenant-General Mothiba is now the Acting National Commissioner of SAPS. Presidency statement on #Phahlane… pic.twitter.com/FBu4aW81va
— eNCA (@eNCA) June 1, 2017
