Masemola returns as South Africa's police chief after charges are dropped
President Ramaphosa has lifted the national police commissioner's suspension. Prosecutors found no reasonable prospect of a conviction, and he is back at work on Monday.
Pretoria — Fannie Masemola will return to work as South Africa's national police commissioner on Monday 19 October, after President Cyril Ramaphosa lifted his suspension, the Mail & Guardian reports.
Why he was suspended
Mr Ramaphosa suspended him in April as a precaution after he appeared in court on four counts of breaching the Public Finance Management Act. The charges concerned a police health services contract worth R228 million, awarded to a company linked to Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala. Unlike other accused in the wider tender case, Mr Masemola was never charged with fraud or corruption.
What changed
- On 15 September, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Andy Mothibi, ordered the charges withdrawn, saying there were no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution.
- The Pretoria Magistrate's Court formally withdrew them on 22 September.
- Mr Mothibi will refer the matter to the judge overseeing the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), and a review will examine how the case came to be brought.
The Presidency welcomed Mr Masemola's return and thanked Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane, who served as acting commissioner during his absence.
Source: Mail & Guardian, reporting by Lesego Chepape, 16 October 2026.
