Ramaphosa lifts suspension of police commissioner Fannie Masemola

President Cyril Ramaphosa has lifted the suspension of national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola, who returns to full duties on Monday, the Presidency said on Friday.

The suspension had been in place since April. Ramaphosa and Masemola agreed then that the commissioner would be treated as being on precautionary suspension after he appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on charges of contravening the Public Finance Management Act, the Presidency said. The National Director of Public Prosecutions instructed on 15 September that the charges be withdrawn, and the court formally withdrew them on 22 September.

The Presidency welcomed Masemola back and thanked Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane, who it said “served with distinction” as acting national commissioner in the interim.

Ramaphosa announced the suspension at the Union Buildings on 23 April. He said it would last until the case was concluded, given “the seriousness of these charges” and the commissioner’s role in fighting crime. The charges related to the award of a R228 million contract, SAnews, the government’s news agency, reported at the time.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew the case after a review. The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Andy Mothibi, used his powers under section 179(5)(c) of the Constitution and section 22(2)(b) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, the NPA said on 15 September. He considered the evidence gathered by the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and a report by a case assessment panel. He also had a report by an independent senior counsel appointed to the case assessment process.

Mothibi concluded that a prosecution of the national commissioner on the charges had no reasonable prospect of success, according to the NPA. Putting a case on the court roll without enough evidence to secure a conviction “is not in the public interest”, he said.

Masemola’s lawyers also made representations to the NPA. They had no further bearing on the outcome because the decision to withdraw had already been taken through the review, the NPA said.

Mothibi will report the matter to the IDAC Judge and make the panel’s report available, the NPA said. The aim is to investigate how the prosecution team assessed the evidence, enrolled the case and applied the law, and to establish whether there was any misconduct. The assessment and review of all IDAC cases will continue.

Masemola resumes his full duties as national commissioner on Monday 19 October 2026. More from Parliament, the Union Buildings and the courts is on our politics desk.