The organisation, Action Society, has expressed concern that the newly-appointed Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sehlahle Fannie Masemola, may not have the courage to stand up to Police Minister Bheki Cele’s efforts to micromanage the police service.
Some political parties have welcomed the appointment of Masemola but others have expressed concern about the process that led to it.
Ramaphosa announced Masemola’s appointment on Thursday afternoon.
Masemola will take over from Khehla Sitole who reportedly did not get along with Cele, a problem that Ramaphosa expressed concern over.
The organisation’s director of community safety, Ian Cameron, says it will be difficult for Masemola to work competently with Cele as Police Minister.
“The influence is just too much for one person to bring about that much change. We need the skills audit of all those who are in the police service including provincial and regional officials and their deputies. From there we can determine who is competent and who is not competent. There’s a need to go through a process of determining who has been involved in any form of corruption,” adds Cameron.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Masemola’s appointment on Thursday afternoon:
