National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (on precautionary suspension) · Pretoria
Testified · suspended · charged (PFMA)
South Africa's National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, appointed in 2022 and placed on precautionary suspension by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 23 April 2026, with Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane appointed Acting National Commissioner in his place. He was among the first witnesses at the Madlanga Commission, and his evidence largely corroborated KZN commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's account: the chain of command within SAPS, the limits of ministerial authority, and the disbandment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team. Separately, in the wave of criminal referrals that followed Mkhwanazi's July 2025 allegations, Masemola was charged by summons - not arrested - with four counts of contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) over a 2024 SAPS health-services tender awarded to Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala's Medicare24. He faces only those PFMA counts (not the fraud, corruption or money-laundering charges laid against the tender's other accused); the charges are untested and he is presumed innocent. On 7 August 2026 his legal team asked the National Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw the prosecution, and when the matter was called in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on 28 August 2026 the state disclosed that a seven-member case assessment panel had been authorised to review it. The case was transferred to the Pretoria Regional Court and postponed to 29 September 2026.
Fannie MasemolaSehlahle Fannie MasemolaGeneral Masemolanational police commissionerSAPS National CommissionerMadlanga Commission
This profile summarises testimony and evidence given on the public record before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. It restates allegations as presented at the hearings and is not a finding of guilt, liability, or wrongdoing by any person.
Placed on precautionary suspension by the President (23 April 2026)
Two days after Masemola first appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on the four Public Finance Management Act counts, President Cyril Ramaphosa placed him on precautionary suspension. Per Business Day and Al Jazeera the President said: 'In consideration of the seriousness of these charges and the critical role that the national commissioner of police plays in leading the fight against crime, I have agreed with Gen Masemola that he be on precautionary suspension pending the conclusion of the case to ensure stability and continuity in the South African Police Force.' Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane, the service's chief financial officer, was appointed Acting National Commissioner. A precautionary suspension is a measure taken because of the office while a case runs; it is not a disciplinary sanction and it decides nothing about the charges. Masemola maintained his innocence after his court appearance and is presumed innocent.
Representations to the NDPP, and a seven-member panel reviewing his prosecution (28 August 2026)
Masemola appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Friday 28 August 2026 as accused number one in the R228 million SAPS Medicare24 tender prosecution, alongside twelve others including James George Murray, Captain Brian Cartwright and Brigadier Rachel Matjeng. Per The Citizen and Eyewitness News his legal team had submitted formal representations to National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Andy Mothibi on 7 August 2026 asking that the charges be withdrawn, and Mothibi authorised a case assessment panel of seven senior National Prosecuting Authority and Special Investigating Unit officials to review the matter. State prosecutor Santhos Manilall told the court: 'I cannot give you a date when they will be complete with the assessment, but they understand the urgency of this matter.' The allegations against him are that he failed to prevent irregular expenditure and allowed payments to continue after the irregularity was flagged. The matter was transferred to the Pretoria Regional Court and postponed to 29 September 2026. Representations are a step available to any accused and their submission is not an indication that they will succeed; equally, a review is not an exoneration. The charges remain untested and Masemola is presumed innocent.
Charged by summons with four PFMA counts over the Medicare24 tender
In the wave of criminal referrals that followed Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's July 2025 allegations, Masemola was among those charged - one of about 13 police members reported to be facing criminal charges, with roughly a further 15 subject to disciplinary proceedings. He was charged by summons (he was not arrested) with four counts of contravening the Public Finance Management Act, tied to a 2024 SAPS health-services tender awarded to Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala's Medicare24. The anniversary reporting was explicit that Masemola faces only the PFMA counts, not the fraud, corruption or money-laundering charges laid against the tender's other accused. The charges are untested and he is presumed innocent.
The disbandment encroached on his mandate
Masemola testified that the minister's directive to disband the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team encroached on the operational mandate of the National Commissioner, and that the order came without prior consultation or justification.
Operational control versus ministerial policy
He drew a line between the minister's power to set national policing priorities and the commissioner's sole operational and managerial control, characterising the disbandment instruction as an improper encroachment.
The police minister's role must be urgently defined
He told the inquiry the police minister's role needs to be urgently defined, framing it as part of broader institutional reform, and noted the complications of having a minister on leave and an acting minister in place.
The removal of dockets to Pretoria
On the transfer of dockets from the task team to Pretoria, Masemola said the real purpose was to audit and locate dockets tied to a Gauteng crime-intelligence operation, suggesting those seeking their removal 'were looking for something.'
