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Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela has been appointed as Gauteng's new police commissioner.
The official announcement was made by Police Minister Bheki Cele at the Mamelodi East Police Station on Wednesday morning.
Cele said Mawela was a seasoned police officer and expressed that he will use his experience to "nail criminals".
Mawela, 51, is a career police officer who has held top positions in the South African Police Service (SAPS) such as Divisional Commissioner of the Division: Operational Response Service, as well as head of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS).
Mawela replaces Lieutenant-General Deliwe de Lange, who resigned at the end of October.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura, Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, together with National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole, joined Cele in announcing the re-organisation of the SAPS in Gauteng.
Sitole said the SAPS was doing away with clusters and introducing districts. Gauteng would now have five districts, he said.
Sitole says a team would will be working together with Mawela to heighten the fight against crime in the province.
He said a number of police stations in Gauteng would be led by majors-general, including Thembisa, Sunnyside, Soshanguve and Mamelodi East.
The newly appointed majors-general would be leading various police stations in Gauteng to ensure crime is brought to its knees, Sitole said.
Makhura said Mawela was greatly welcome in Gauteng and he was pleased that Mawela had a "great track record" of busting criminals in various operations. He added that criminals must know "the police are coming for them".
Makhura said that 26 wanted criminals had been arrested in Mamelodi during an operation on Wednesday morning. He added that he wanted the top 20 wanted criminals in Gauteng arrested within the next three months.
Read Cele's full speech here.
More to follow.
Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela has been appointed Gauteng's Police Commissioner. pic.twitter.com/vbbPPszApV
— GautengGov (@GautengProvince) February 6, 2019
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