Most of the top ranks of the police are now held by acting officers after National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola was placed on precautionary suspension.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to suspend National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola as a precaution and appointed an acting national police commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, in his place.

Most of the top ranks of the police are now held by acting officers, while Police Minister Firoz Cachalia is also in an acting capacity.

Asked if this was a problem, Ramaphosa, speaking at the Union Buildings on Thursday, 23 April, said, "Yes, we do have too many people acting in positions, and we are going to address that specific issue. There is an inherent weakness in people just continuing to act."

Dimpane joined the police in 2007 as the Free State provincial commander of internal audit and then became the province's major general for asset management. She was appointed as Divisional Commissioner for Financial Management Services of the SAPS in 2018 - a position she still holds.

In that role, she attracted both criticism and praise after appearing before the parliamentary ad hoc inquiry and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, both of which are probing criminalisation and corruption within the police.

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