SAPS welcomes the Minister of Police and Deputy Minister of Police

April 04, The Acting National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, officially welcomed the Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula and his Deputy Bongani Mkongi into the South African Police Service during a welcoming ceremony at the SAPS academy in Pretoria.

The two took over the reins from former Minister of Police Nkosinathi Nhleko and his deputy Maggie Sotyu respectively. The ceremony was utilised as a dialogue session for both the Ministers and the Acting National Commissioner.

Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane provided feedback on progress made in the fight against crime in the country.

The Minister and the Deputy Minister also outlined their programme of action in providing leadership and guidance to ensure that crime is eradicated in the country.

During the ceremony, the Acting National Police Commissioner shared the vision and mandate as well as the SAPS policing objectives, in accordance with the provisions of Section 205 of the Constitution which are to:

• Prevent, combat and investigate crime
• Maintain public order
• Protect and secures the inhabitants of the Republic and their property
• uphold and enforce the law.

At the helm was the “Back-to-Basics” approach which has yielded positive results since its inception last year.

The Acting National Commissioner attributed this to the reduction of crime in all seventeen community reported serious crimes for the past 11 months.

The reduction of crime in the four broad categories were noted as follows:

• Contact crimes decreased by 3.2 percent
• Contact-related crimes decreased by 4.2 percent
• Property-related crimes decreased by 1.1 percent
• Total other serious crimes decreased by 3.6 percent

The South African Police Service at large, welcomes both the Minister of Police and his Deputy to the SAPS family.

We will ensure that we provide the Ministry with the necessary support to ensure that we collectively continue to ensure that South Africans are and feel safe.