SAPU urges Ramaphosa to reinstate Masemola as questions mount over IDAC case

The South African Policing Union (SAPU) has expressed disappointment and shock that President Cyril Ramaphosa is still considering the reinstatement of suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, rather than acting immediately following the withdrawal of criminal charges against him.

SAPU wishes to call upon the president to reinstate General Masemola now.

SAPU deputy national spokesperson Jabu Mabena argued that leaving the police commissioner sidelined while the country faces rampant crime—including killings, gender-based violence, and femicide—demonstrates a failure to prioritize national safety. The union’s call follows the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Andy Mothibi, instructing that charges against Masemola be withdrawn after a review concluded there were no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution.

The case, which involved a controversial R360-million police health-services tender, had previously been criticized after former IDAC head Andrea Johnson conceded that the legal justification for the charges against Masemola did not hold water. The South African Communist Party (SACP) has also joined the call for Masemola’s immediate reinstatement to allow him to resume his duties.