The City of Johannesburg has appointed public safety veteran David Tembe as the new Metro police chief.
Tembe, who was already in the hot seat on 2 January, has a public safety career stretching three decades.
He started working as a paramedic at the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services in 1981. He became superintendent in 1989 and was appointed acting director of the EMS Academy in 1999.
Tembe was appointed as director of operations in 2001 and was in charge of the City of Johannesburg’s 26 city fire stations. A year later he was appointed the acting chief of EMS.
Under his watch, the Urban Search and Rescue team was established and represented South Africa during disasters in both Algeria and Iran.
Tembe spent more years in the Metro police department and was later appointed as the national chief of traffic.
Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba said he has every confidence in Tembe’s abilities.
“[I] look forward to working with him as we run a corruption free City that respects the rule of law and stimulates economic growth for our people,” he said.
Reactions to Tembe’s appointment were very positive, with crime activists like Yusuf Abramjee saying Tembe is a man of integrity and experience.
Justice Project South Africa also voiced their approval on Twitter.
However, not everyone is happy about his appointment. The ANC in Joburg has started legal procedures to have Tembe’s appointment set aside.
Spokesperson Jolidee Matongo said the DA-led coalition in the City flouted recruitment and appointment processes to appoint their chosen candidates.
“It should be noted that this candidate was the fifth most suitable based on the interviewing process by the panel.
After discussions at this meeting, the Mayor withdrew the report and the matter was sent back to the executive for further consideration.
Instead, a new report on the appointment of the Chief of the [Metro] police was presented to council on 29 November, recommending Tembe,” he said.
Matongo said the ANC rejected this appointment because it did not afford the highest scoring candidates the opportunity to be appointed to the position.
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