By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African Police Services (SAPS) National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has announced the appointment of the new presidential protection head and new commissioner.
The announcement was made after after SAPS management held a board of commissioners meeting on Thursday to decide on key appointments, including the new deputy national commissioner for policing, a position previously held by Masemola.
Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, the former acting national head of the Hawks, now takes Masemola’s former post.
Molefe Fani, currently the acting Chief Procurement Officer for National Treasury, was appointed Divisional Commissioner for Supply Chain Management (SCM), from next month.
“The appointment of senior managers to key positions in the organisation forms part of the national commissioner’s broader strategy to fill in critical vacancies to expedite the delivery of services to communities, said SAPS spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.
Mathe said Mosikili’s responsibilities included overseeing all visible policing and operations, as well as protection and security services (PSS).
“The new deputy national commissioner will also, with immediate effect, assume the role of co-chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) alongside the chairpersons from the State Security Agency (SSA)and the South African National Defence Force(SANDF),” said Mathe.
SAPS also announced that Lieutenant General Sam Shitlabane will with immediate effect oversee the Presidential Protection Service (PPS). Shitlabane replaces Major-Gen Wally Rhoode who was removed this week. Rhoode was in the spotlight after reports of the robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm where US$ 6million was stolen.
The Presidential Protection policing component, according to the SAPS’ 2020-2021 annual report, “has a mandatory responsibility to protect the interests of the State through comprehensive protection measures and services to the Presidency, their immediate families, former Presidents, former Deputy Presidents and their spouses, foreign and former heads of state and their spouses”.
Former spy boss Arthur Fraser alleged that Ramaphosa “concealed the crime” — in which millions of dollars were allegedly stolen — from the police and the SA Revenue Service.
In an affidavit, Fraser claimed that Ramaphosa instructed Rhoode to investigate the robbery, arrest the suspects and retrieve the stolen money.
“Major-General Rhoode subsequently acquired the services of a local farmer with investigative experience and capabilities to assist him with the investigation,” Fraser claimed.
Fraser also alleged that Rhoode later travelled to Namibia to interview a suspect and seize the stolen money.
Mathe said the changes were made as Masemola was putting measures in place to strengthen and enhance governance and accountability.