Former JMPD chief David Tembe found dead at his home

Former Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) chief David Tembe has been found dead at his home.

The City of Johannesburg’s department of public safety announced Tembe was found unresponsive at his private residence on Monday.

“Emergency services responded promptly, but he was declared deceased at the scene,” said the department’s Rhulani Mgwambane.

He said a postmortem examination will be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.

Tembe’s public safety career began in 1981 as a paramedic with the Johannesburg emergency services (EMS). He became a superintendent in 1989 and in 1999 was appointed acting director in charge of the EMS Academy. He was appointed director of operations in 2001, where he was responsible for leading the city’s 26 fire stations.

In 2002 he was appointed acting chief of Emergency Management Services, where under his stewardship the urban search and rescue unit was established and represented South Africa during Algeria and Iran’s disasters.

After serving for close to 20 years with the EMS, Tembe was appointed director of operations for the JMPD in 2003. During his time with JMPD, he was awarded and commended by the national department of transport for innovation and excellence in traffic law enforcement. In 2011, he was appointed national chief of traffic at the Road Traffic Management Corporation until he resigned to pursue a career as a consultant in law enforcement in 2013. In 2018, then mayor Herman Mashaba appointed him JMPD chief.

Most recently he continued to contribute his vast experience and expertise as strategic advisor to public safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku.

With a career extending more than 40 years, the department said Tembe served the residents of Johannesburg with exceptional dedication and integrity.

He was commended for his community-centred approach to policing, his unwavering commitment to the welfare of officers and his relentless pursuit of safer streets.

City of Johannesburg speaker Margaret Arnolds, on behalf of the council, said: “We honour a servant leader who gave everything to this city and asked for nothing in return.”

Reflecting on Tembe’s legacy she said: “David Tembe represented the very best of public service. He understood safety was not only about enforcement, but about humanity, dignity and building trust with communities.”

She said he had a lasting impact on the city’s institutions, observing he built structures, strengthened systems and inspired officers across generations.

“His life’s work has left Johannesburg safer, more resilient and more responsive.”

Funeral and memorial arrangements will be announced in due course.

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