The SAPS has confirmed the reappointment of Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner on a new five-year contract.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe confirmed the decision.
“The SAPS confirms the reappointment of Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as the provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal on a five-year fixed-term contract.”
Mathe said the reappointment followed consultation with KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli.
“Further details will be provided in due course,” she said.
National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has also welcomed the development, with Mathe saying he wished Mkhwanazi well “as he continues to provide stability and decisive leadership in the province”.
The confirmation brings clarity after weeks of uncertainty surrounding Mkhwanazi’s future as his contract was set to expire on March 31.
Speaking previously in an interview with the SABC, Ntuli raised concern about delays in formalising the renewal, warning that uncertainty could affect investor confidence.
“If there is no formal endorsement of the intentions, it remains an issue which brings uncertainty in particular [for] the business sector and investors.”
Ntuli later confirmed that the matter had been finalised after engagements with Masemola.
“It has been renewed; the national commissioner has written to me, and I’ve also given a concurrence formally and officially, so I don’t think there is an issue with that,” he said during a crime-fighting event in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
In terms of legislation, the appointment of a provincial police commissioner by the national commissioner requires consultation with and endorsement by the relevant provincial premier.
Mkhwanazi had also indicated his willingness to continue serving, telling parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating alleged corruption in the criminal justice system that he was open to another five-year term.
He was the final witness to testify before the committee concluded its proceedings.
His reappointment is expected to ensure continuity in policing leadership in KwaZulu-Natal.
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