Top Mpumalanga Cop Suspended Amid Ongoing Corruption Probe

Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala has been suspended for “misconduct” relating to the ongoing investigation of Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela.

Mohlala was suspended after defending Manamela’s acceptance of R2 million in alleged gifts during a December television interview. Deputy Commissioner Lineo Ntshiea’s letter stated that Mohlala undermined national commissioner Fannie Masemola’s authority.

The Mail & Guardian reported on 25 December that Manamela faced a board of inquiry on whether she is “fit and proper” to be Mpumalanga’s top cop after allegedly showering herself with gifts worth R2 million to celebrate her July 2021 appointment, and supposedly running a money laundering scheme in the province. 

Masemola prohibited provincial comments on the Manamela case in October. By speaking out, Mohlala defied orders and compromised the disciplinary process, per Ntshiea. 

“The decision to suspend you was informed by the seriousness of the allegations and the fact that your presence in the workplace has the potential to compromise the disciplinary process,” Ntshiea wrote. 

The suspension exposes alleged leadership turmoil in Mpumalanga police tied to ANC factionalism. Senior officers accused Masemola of aiding Manamela’s enemies.

A dossier compiled by the senior officers said: “We call upon the Mpumalanga ANC leadership to be selfish about the deployment of people who don’t love this province, but they are here to make money and go. We love Mpumalanga and the ANC cannot fail to show leadership when we know who are the devils and witches that destroy everything we are trying to build.”

But police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe denied conflicts between top officers.

Mohlala’s suspension signifies the widening fallout from the ongoing corruption investigation. As the probe escalates, additional heads could roll within the troubled Mpumalanga police leadership.