National Poolice Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Fannie Masemola has met the Provincial Management of police in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday afternoon. General Masemola first met with the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Thami Ntuli to formally present Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as the Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal for the next five years.

During the meeting with SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Management, the National Commissioner said that the uncertainty and speculations are over. “I am here to formally announce to you that I have given Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi another five years to continue leading policing in this province. I am looking forward to a great teamwork that you have displayed over the past five years. You need to support Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, and the only support you can give to him is through taking orders and do your job”, said General Masemola.

He further told Deputy Provincial Commissioners and District Commissioners that they must not exclude community members in their strategies. “Do not police communities in their absentia. Involve them in your plans, give them roles to play so that they may take accountability of crime in their neighbourhood. The community must feel you, both criminals and law-abiding citizens. Now that the uncertainty is gone, the focus must solely be on reducing crime and keeping our communities safe”, added General Masemola.

When accepting another term to lead policing in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi said: “Thank you National Commissioner for the trust.

It was not an easy decision for me because I had agreed with my family that I will only serve one term. The plan was to go on a holiday from 1 April but when the National Commissioner emphasized the importance of service to the people of South Africa, especially residence of KwaZulu-Natal, I reconsidered and made myself available to be of service to the nation. To my fellow colleagues, I am expecting nothing less than full cooperation and support.

The goals remain the same; to reduce crime, to attain a Clean Audit and ensure that our clients are satisfied with our service to them”, said Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.