Maimane urges Ramaphosa to end SAPS leadership limbo and appoint a permanent minister

Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint a permanent police minister, as the country commemorates National Police Day.

Maimane made the call on Tuesday while visiting Nyanga and Delft police stations in Cape Town to assess their operational capabilities.

Fourth quarter crime statistics of 2025 revealed that both police stations appeared in the top five stations with the highest number of murders.

South Africa currently has an Acting Police Minister, following the president's decision to place minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave.

Maimane said that strong leadership is critical to tackle South Africa’s crime crisis.

He argues that a permanent ministerial appointment would bring accountability and stability to police leadership.

 "We have a ghost worker in Minister Mchunu at the moment; I don't know what he's doing, yet we're paying that salary. Imagine that R2 million salary, what we could do with it here."

He urged the president to act decisively, saying South Africans deserve a police service that's properly led, not one hamstrung by uncertainty at the top.