Charges against top cop Fannie Masemola dropped, and he wants his job back

The National Prosecuting Authority has withdrawn the charges against national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, and the man himself says he is ready to go back to work.

Speaking after the charges were formally dropped, Masemola described the period as a difficult time in his life and thanked everyone who had prayed for him and stood with him. He called it a tough journey and said he had taken a lesson from it.

He said he is eager to return and serve the country, but that he will have to wait for his employer before anything happens. He added that he has not had any discussions with the president, noting that the president is not well.

The South African Police Union, Sappu, says it knew from the start that the charges against the suspended police commissioner would not stick. Sappu spokesperson Leiva Tobac told eNCA the union feels vindicated by the withdrawal.

Tobac said the union had said from the onset that it did not believe the charges against Masemola would hold. He went further, describing the prosecution as an attack on national security, and said the question of who drove the charges, and what they hoped to achieve, still needs an answer.

That question is now the open one. The charges are gone, but no one has yet explained why they were brought, and Masemola’s return to the SAPS top job depends on a decision that has not been taken.

Source: eNCA (YouTube), Fannie Masemola ready to serve the country after NPA withdraws charges