President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed minister of police Senzo Mchunu on special leave, replacing him with Prof Firoz Cachalia, who will take up the post in August.
Ramaphosa also announced that he has established a judicial commission of inquiry chaired by acting deputy chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga to investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates.
This comes after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkwanazi shocked the country when he revealed cracks in the highest levels of the police, where rival factions are fighting for control of the crime intelligence division.
Cachalia, an unassuming professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, said of Ramaphosa's offer: “Given a responsibility to serve the country on a difficult set of issues, you can’t really refuse. I said 'yes' immediately because I suppose to refuse was not an option.”
His appointment comes at a time when public trust in the police has reached an all-time low. According to the Human Sciences Research Council's South African Social Attitudes Survey, trust in the police has declined significantly over the past two decades, with only 22% of citizens expressing trust in the police in the past few years.
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