Minister of mineral and petroleum resources Gwede Mantashe has been appointed as acting minister of police with immediate effect, the presidency announced.
It said Mantashe will serve in this capacity until Prof Firoz Cachalia, who will retire from his position at the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of July, assumes the post in August.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Mantashe will retain his responsibilities as minister of mineral and petroleum resources.
Addressing the nation on Sunday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he had placed minister of police Senzo Mchunu on special leave, replacing him with Cachalia.
Ramaphosa also announced that he had established a judicial commission of inquiry chaired by acting deputy chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga to investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates.
This is after explosive revelations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi who alleged that deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and Mchunu had obstructed justice, stalled investigations into political killings and organised crime, and shielded politically connected suspects.
He alleged that on March 26 a total of 121 case dockets under investigation were taken away from the political killings task team as directed by Sibiya acting on the instruction of the Mchunu, to disband the task team.
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