Suspended national police commissioner Riah Phiyega's replacement is himself a controversial police official - he has cost taxpayers thousands of rands in legal bills fighting accusations of unfair discrimination in the Labour Court. Lieutenant-General Johannes Phahlane, who heads the police's forensic services division, was yesterday appointed acting national police commissioner.Phiyega has been suspended by President Jacob Zuma on full pay with immediate effect. She learned of her suspension yesterday while briefing parliament's police portfolio committee.A few weeks ago Zuma gave her the opportunity to make representations as to why she should not be suspended pending the outcome of an inquiry into her fitness to hold office.The convening of an inquiry was one of the recommendations of the Farlam Commission in its report on the 2012 Marikana massacre.Phiyega was not available for comment last night.The Johannesburg Labour Court ruled in 2009 that Phahlane had unfairly discriminated against Jennila Naidoo, who was shortlisted and recommended for the position of commander of the Krugersdorp police cluster on the West Rand.The court ruled that Phahlane, as the head of the national appointments panel, had discriminated against her on the grounds of her race and gender.Phahlane had recommended Major-General Tirhani Maswanganyi for the position. Maswanganyi was murdered in 2013.The court ordered that the police backdate Naidoo's salary to the point at which she would have been appointed cluster commander; that she be paid 12 months' salary at the pay scale applicable to that position; and that her legal costs be covered by the state.Last night Phahlane refused to comment on his appointment or the Labour Court's findings.Unisa criminologist Anthony Minnaar said the police were stumbling from one questionable appointment to another."It's bizarre. You have the appointment of Phiyega and a string of controversies surround her as she stumbles from one saga to the next."It's not just about Marikana. It's about the appointment of incompetent people and the sidelining of competent, experienced officers."The latest saga involving her [includes] attempts to protect KwaZulu-Natal commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni . from a corruption scandal, and the offer of a R3-million golden handshake to Lieutenant-General Johan Booysen, who was investigating Ngobeni."He said these scandals, and those involving previous commissioners, were evidence that an independent appointments board was necessary.SA Police Union president Mpho Kwinika welcomed Phahlane's appointment. He said Phiyega's suspension would give the board of inquiry time to do its work without interference."Phiyega has done immense damage to the police that will take years to rectify. She sidelined officers and obstructed those who could have turned the police service around, controversially appointing people who had less than 10 years of policing experience to senior positions."Kwinika said Phahlane could not be judged "on this one incident". He said the union was looking at the bigger picture - an official with "the capacity to lead the police"."We believe Phahlane has that capacity," Kwinika said.Police portfolio committee chairman Francois Beukman said the suspension was "the correct approach".DA police spokesman Zak Mbhele said: "This [suspension] is not just for Marikana but for the litany of failures and faults."Freedom Front Plus's Pieter Groenewald said Zuma should take responsibility for the problem: "He is part of this whole fiasco because he appointed her."He said Phiyega's replacement should be a seasoned officer...