By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni as the new Gauteng Police Provincial Commissioner.
Masemola made the announcement on Friday at the Gauteng Provincial Headquarters in Parktown, Johannesburg.
Mthombeni has been the acting provincial commissioner since the retirement of Lieutenant General Elias Mawela.
He joined the SAPS ranks in 1986 and has 37 years’ service.
Mthombeni has held several senior positions including that of Cluster Commander and District Commissioner of Tshwane, and the station commanders of Jabulani Police Station in Soweto and Station Commander for Pretoria Central Police Station in Tshwane.
He holds a National Diploma in Police Administration, and a National Higher Diploma in Policing and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
Masemola said he was confident in Mthombeni’s capabilities.
“He has been instrumental and a key figure in developing and implementing crime combating strategies to reduce levels of crime in the province and we have full confidence that he will continue to lead and contribute in ensuring that serious and violent crimes in this economic hub are dealt a blow,” he said.
Furthermore, Masemola also named Lieutenant General Maropeng Johanna Mamothethi as the new Divisional Commissioner for Visible Policing and Operations.
Mamothethi has been with SAPS for 28 years. She holds a Diploma in Policing, a BTech degree in policing, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management.
MEC of Community Safety and Liaison, Faith Mazibuko, who also attended the briefing, said the two positions are critical in ensuring the deployment of capacity and resources in the executing the mandate of fighting crime.
“The filling of critical vacancies is a top priority for SAPS management and it is done to ensure accountability and stability within the organisation with a view of enhancing service delivery to our communities, “she said.