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Political parties react to new Police Commissioner appointment

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Political parties react to new Police Commissioner appointment

Image of Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola

1st April 2022

By: Thabi Shomolekae
Creamer Media Senior Writer

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Some political parties have welcomed the appointment of Lieutenant-General Fannie Masemola as the new National Commissioner of Police, urging him to focus effectively on combating corruption and crime.

On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Masemola as the successor to outgoing National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole.

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Sitole’s contract was terminated by Ramaphosa with effect from March 31.

African National Congress spokesperson Pule Mabe said the party believed that with Masemola at the helm of the police, the country would be able to discharge its obligations with “vigour and determination” and restore confidence and trust between members of the South African Police Service (Saps) and the communities they served.

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Mabe stated that the vulnerable in society, including the disabled, women and children would enjoy the best of State protection against gender-based violence (GBV) predators and all other forms of crime.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it has noted that South Africa had become a haven for criminals, with disturbing levels of GBV, a murder rate that was spiralling out of control and a rise in public assassinations across all spheres of society.

The party expects Masemola to deal with this spate of violent crime decisively.

“The EFF is hopeful that this will be a new chapter in the fight to combat criminal activities in South Africa, and that our streets will no longer be places of crippling fear and injustice,” it said.

GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron pointed out that Masemola was an “experienced professional police officer” who had served in the ranks in various leadership and management capacities – at both provincial and national level.

“Our fight against crime requires stable and competent police leadership and we trust that the new National Police Commissioner has the capacity to bring that. Building a credible police service that is responsive and trusted by communities across our country is a mammoth task,” he said.

The Inkatha Freedom Party hoped that politics would not get in the way of ensuring that South Africans were kept safe. The party hoped that the daily operations of the Saps would run smoothly and that all outstanding vacant posts were filled and all programmes, as outlined in the Department's Annual Performance Plan, were implemented.

Police Portfolio Committee chairperson Tina Joemat-Pettersson reminded Masemola that the committee would robustly implement its oversight responsibility to ensure that police members were held accountable in the committee’s attempts to build a safer South Africa.

“Cele’s Bullying and Efforts to Micromanage”

Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Police Andrew Whitfield said Ramaphosa wasted an opportunity to build trust in the police service at the outset by not taking the public into his confidence through a transparent selection process.

Instead, Whitfield said, Ramaphosa decided to conduct the process in the “darkest corners of the Presidency”.

He said Masemola’s key test will be his ability to stand up to Police Minister Bheki Cele’s “bullying” and efforts to micromanage the operational affairs of the Saps.

“The commissioner will have to prove to South Africans that he is independent and not merely Minister Cele’s puppet. This will mean difficult and brave decisions that effectively combat corruption and crime, and also keep Cele from his dream of being both Minister and Commissioner,” said Whitfield.

The EFF joined in and said Masemola was confronted with a great task that required him to ignore the “self-obsessed meddling” of Cele, who the party said would undoubtedly seek to impose his will on the Commissioner and undermine his administrative authority.

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