South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday he was reinstating the country’s police chief, six months after he was suspended over charges he broke public finance rules in the irregular awarding of a tender.
Fannie Masemola, national commissioner of the South African Police Service since 2022, will resume his duties on Monday after prosecutors withdrew charges linked to a 228 million-rand ($13.85 million) police health services contract.
The presidency said prosecutors ordered the withdrawal of charges against Masemola last month, with a local court in Pretoria formally withdrawing the case shortly thereafter.
Prosecutors had accused Masemola of failing to comply with financial oversight and procurement controls linked to a police health services contract awarded to Medicare24, allegations he denied.
The contract became a focal point of the Madlanga Commission, which is investigating allegations that criminal syndicates infiltrated parts of South Africa’s law-enforcement and criminal justice system.
