By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has praised outgoing Gauteng police commissioner Elias Mawela as a great operator and an epitome of a servant leader.
Mawela will hand in his badge after nearly 40 years of service. He has been at the helm of the provincial police for the past five years and will retire when his contract expires on Wednesday.
Mawela is best known as the brains behind the O Kae Molao crime-fighting campaign, later expanded to a national level as Operation Shanela.
“He has served in a number of senior roles and capacities including that of Deputy Area Commissioner of Pretoria, Component Head: Border policing, Divisional Commissioner: Operational Response Services (ORS) and Natjoints Chairperson,” says national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.
Masemola said a lot of Mawela’s accomplishments was his ability to foster strong relations with communities.
“This is a commander who has left an indelible footprint as an operator in all units, stations and components he has led. A true operator, a man of action. To him it didn’t matter where he was deployed, he served the people of South Africa for the past four decades with sheer diligence and commitment.
“It has been an honour to serve alongside you. We will miss him and wish him well in his retirement. Thank you to his family for allowing him to serve.”
Mathe added that SAPS has already begun a recruitment process to fill the vacancy of Gauteng provincial commissioner.
Mawela replaced Lt Gen Deliwe De Lange who left the police after thirty-five years in October 2018. Lt Gen De Lange and four others were reportedly linked to tender fraud in November 2018.