Commissioners have been appointed to head the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, units in eight provinces, the crime-fighting body said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This is significant because until now, the unit had not formalised its structures in the provinces," spokesperson Musa Zondi said in a statement.

"The new appointees will be at the level of assistant commissioners and will be placed as deputies to provincial commissioners."

They were well-versed in organised and commercial crime and had been with the units for a "significant period".

The appointments were announced on Friday and were effective from Monday. Appointments were made for all provinces, except Gauteng.

The provincial commissioners would report to deputy national commissioner Anwa Dramat who heads the Hawks, Zondi said.

National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele called it a milestone for the police.

The appointees are Simon Mapyane, Mpumalanga; Johannes Mabula, North West; Liziwe Ntshinga, Northern Cape; John Ntebo Tsumane, Free State; Johan Booysens, KwaZulu-Natal; Minah Molatjana, Limpopo; Yolisa Matakata, Western Cape and Yvonne Badi, Eastern Cape.

"An announcement regarding Gauteng will be made in due course," Zondi said.