CAPE TOWN – President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved swiftly to fill the leadership vacuum, appointing Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe as Acting Minister of Police with immediate effect. The veteran ANC leader will retain his current portfolio while serving in the dual capacity.
This comes two days after Ramaphosa on Sunday evening placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on immediate leave of absence following damning corruption allegations that have rocked the country’s law enforcement community.
The dramatic announcement came exactly one week after explosive claims were made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial police commissioner, during a media briefing that has since reverberated through the corridors of power.
The Presidency last night said that Mantashe’s appointment is intended as a temporary measure, with the position set to be filled by Professor Firoz Cachalia at the start of August. Cachalia is retiring from his position at the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of this month.
Cachalia is a Professor of Law at Wits and director of the Mandela Institute. He is a globally regarded scholar, his expertise spans constitutional law and many other areas of specialisation in the legal field.
