'Experienced with a good track record': Ramaphosa on Gen Masemola

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans the newly appointed police commissioner, Gen Sehlahle Fannie Masemola, is an experienced police officer with an outstanding track record of achievement.

Masemola has been serving as a deputy police commissioner. 

Ramaphosa told his new appointment that the government and cabinet would support him fully.

“A stable, capable and capacitated police service is our surest guarantee that our constitutional rights will not be violated by criminals,” Ramaphosa said.

He called on the leadership within the police service to pledge their support for Masemola but also highlighted to Masemola the responsibility that came with the post. 

“You have the weight of the nation’s expectations resting on your shoulders, but I am confident you are more than up to this task and responsibility,” Ramaphosa said. 

Boasting about some of the commissioner's capabilities, Ramaphosa said he brings to the position his experience in drastically reducing cash-in-transit crimes in the period around 2016.

Going through the list of Masemola's other achievements, Ramaphosa said he helped with the de-escalation of violence in KwaZulu-Natal after the first democratic elections in 1994 He has co-ordinated security for all elections since then.

Most recently, Masemola served as chairperson of the NATJOINTS on Covid-19, which co-ordinated the government’s efforts across different sectors nationally and internationally to keep all of us safe.

He led the securing of major national and international events in SA, including UN summits, climate conferences and the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Other notable roles that Masemola has featured in date back to March 2012 when the then acting national police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi appointed him as the deputy national commissioner for operations.

Masemola had before that been serving as the deputy provincial commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal in charge of operations.

In September 2013, Masemola was appointed as Limpopo police commissioner.

From April 2016, he was appointed as deputy national police commissioner for policing, a position he held until he was appointed national commissioner on Thursday.

Ramaphosa said the government will be taking further steps to restore stability to all security structures, including filling critical vacancies in the State Security Agency and crime intelligence.

Additional reporting by Ernest Mabuza. 

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