--- title: "President appoints General Puleng Dimpane as acting police commissioner, to join acting police minister" description: "Most of the top ranks of the police are now held by acting officers after National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola was placed on precautionary suspension." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Like a movie" author: "Ferial Haffajee" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ferialhaffajee/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-23-president-appoints-general-puleng-dimpane-as-acting-police-commissioner-to-join-acting-police-minister/" published: "2026-04-23T18:20:28" updated: "2026-04-24T10:54:23" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 493 --- # President appoints General Puleng Dimpane as acting police commissioner, to join acting police minister > Most of the top ranks of the police are now held by acting officers after National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola was placed on precautionary suspension. By Ferial Haffajee · Published 23 April 2026, 20:20 SAST · Updated 24 April 2026, 12:54 SAST ## Key points - President Cyril Ramaphosa suspends National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and appoints Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane as acting police commissioner amid ongoing investigations. - Most senior police positions are now held by acting officers, raising concerns about stability and effectiveness within the force. - Dimpane has a controversial history involving scrutiny over financial management and irregular expenditures during her tenure as CFO. - The Madlanga Commission is actively uncovering issues within the police service, addressing cases of corruption and misconduct, with Masemola facing charges for his role in a major contract scandal. ## Content President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to suspend National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola as a precaution and appointed an acting national police commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, in his place. Most of the top ranks of the police are now held by acting officers, while Police Minister Firoz Cachalia is also in an acting capacity. Asked if this was a problem, Ramaphosa, speaking at the Union Buildings on Thursday, 23 April, said, “Yes, we do have too many people acting in positions, and we are going to address that specific issue. There is an inherent weakness in people just continuing to act.” Dimpane joined the police in 2007 as the Free State provincial commander of internal audit and then became the province’s major general for asset management. She was appointed as Divisional Commissioner for Financial Management Services of the SAPS in 2018 – a position she still holds. In that role, she attracted both criticism and praise after appearing before the parliamentary ad hoc inquiry and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, both of which are probing criminalisation and corruption within the police. ![Fer-CR-Cachalia](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/P5d4yAJIgHFUAqNB6b51BXTsNs8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ED_6054201_782137.jpg) *Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane during a media briefing at the Union Buildings on April 23, 2026 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)* Dimpane said she raised questions about the Medicare24 tender won by alleged organised crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala in her role as finance chief of the police budget, but MPs probed how it had then been awarded. Additionally, she faced questions about the escalating budget (more than R435-million) of the Political Killings Task Team, the unit headed by KZN provincial commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that is central to the Madlanga Commission. “The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is uncovering critical information that is helping us rebuild the police service,” said Ramaphosa, who also defended the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, saying that both laid the basis for reform of the criminal justice system. Masemola has been [charged](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-21-leave-it-to-ramaphosa-says-masemola-of-his-future-amid-360m-tender-charges/) under the Public Finance Management Act, which entrusts senior leaders with high-level responsibilities in public spending. Dimpane, as CFO, would have had similar responsibilities. ![Fer-CR-Cachalia](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Vg43zu8OOpy_XvOm4fFEJVeY0dI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ED_604860_508093.jpg) *Now-suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola appeared at Pretoria Magistrates’ Court over a controversial R360m SAPS tender on 21 April, 2026. Days later, he was placed on precautionary suspension. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)* Dimpane told the parliamentary inquiry that written warnings and corrective counselling for irregular expenditure in the police had little effect. Unlike with the Zondo Commission, the state is moving much more quickly to act on findings from and testimony before the Madlanga Commission as they emerge. [Read more 72 hours of cop controversies: From Masemola’s court appearance to suspended colleague’s claims April 21, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/s7Z8Fq9bM7T1_ukFud3fK5wNC2Y=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/caryn_saps3_332376.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-21-72-hours-of-cop-controversies-from-masemolas-court-appearance-to-suspended-colleagues-claims-/) Masemola will appear in May with 12 other police officers facing charges for facilitating Matlala’s police wellness contract – called the Medicare24 Tshwane contract after the company name. It was scoped at an initial R360-million, of which R228-million is at issue in court. ![Fer-CR-Cachalia](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/kKSYHHDkMZ3BrwKPrsfwSLMxAaw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Simplified-Summary-of-the-Case_755502_189813.jpg) *Fer-CR-Cachalia* ![Fer-CR-Cachalia](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pfuMTT6fUhduofhdqIJUnFL7t7M=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Simplified-Summary-of-the-Case_7555021_729745.jpg) *Fer-CR-Cachalia* **DM**