Phiyega as the New National Police Commissioner

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Riah Phiyega was appointed as South Africa’s first woman police commissioner on Tuesday. After the dismissal of Bheki Cele, Zuma announced Phiyega’s appointment in Pretoria.

TAU deputy president Henry Geldenhuys said in a statement that her appointment was just another political move to strengthen Zuma’s position. He said that Zuma would have appointed someone else from the police rank who could bring back much needed discipline.

“It’s okay to say that the police need a manager, but it has to be considered that the police are not there to move papers around but to fight crime,” said Geldenhuys.

The opinions of the opposition were ignored by Zuma who had requested Zuma to appoint experienced police officer to replace Cele.

However, Riah Phiyega was not a career cop, but a “super administrator” in accordance to Phiyega’s close friend, who was under no illusions about the extent of the task in front of her.

“She has excelled in that regard. She is not a career cop but she is a super administrator. She has good administration skills. We already have cops, now we need a good administrator,” the friend said.

Mangwashi Victoria (Riah) Phiyega said she was humbled by the appointment to the post of top cop. She said, “I have my own butterflies, but this is an honor for me, I accept this with a lot of humility. I understand it’s an enormous responsibility.”  

Phiyega’s appointment was welcomed by the ANC Women’s League while many other officials were against Zuma’s decision. The league said, “She comes to the SA police service with a glowing CV and a track record of upstanding leadership across many sectors of government as well as the private sector.” The league added, “We believe having a strong woman at the helm of the police service will bring a renewed focus to overcoming the scourge of gender-based violence, such as rape, which has become a growing concern across the country.”