Who is Firoz Cachalia, the incoming Acting Police Minister?
After a week of intense scrutiny following the bombshell allegations by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, president Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to place embattled Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu on leave of absence and initiated commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations.
In a move that caught many commentators by surprise,Ramaphosa has appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia as the Acting Minister of Police.
The appointment, announced during a televised address to the nation on Sunday, follows Mkhwanazi alleging that a powerful criminal syndicate had infiltrated the country’s law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and even the judiciary.
He accused Mchunu, of interfering in sensitive investigations and colluding with a murder accused businessman to disband a task team probing political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.
In response, Ramaphosa announced the formation of a judicial commission of inquiry, to be led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
The commission is expected to investigate the alleged suppression of investigations, interference by senior officials, and the complicity of government members in organised crime networks.
Who is Firoz Cachalia
But who is Cachalia, the incoming Acting Police Minister?
Cachalia, 66, is a former anti-apartheid activist, lawyer, academic and long-time public servant. He is currently a professor at the Wits School of Law and chairs the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, a body tasked with helping the state prevent the kind of systemic graft exposed during the Zondo Commission.
Born in Benoni in 1958, Cachalia was active in anti-apartheid student politics in the late 1970s and 1980s.
He was repeatedly detained and banned by the apartheid state and later joined the United Democratic Front. He represented the Transvaal Indian Congress during the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) and contributed to early drafts of the country’s constitutional principles.
He holds multiple qualifications from Wits University, including a BA, LLB and a Higher Diploma in Company Law, and earned an LLM with distinction from the University of Michigan.
Cachalia joined the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 1994 as a member of the ANC and served in various leadership roles, including Speaker of the legislature from 1999 to 2004. After the 2004 national elections, then-premier Mbhazima Shilowa appointed him MEC for Community Safety.
He served as MEC for Community Safety until 2009, during a period of major crime-fighting reforms in Gauteng, and briefly held the Economic Development portfolio before leaving government in 2010.
Beyond politics, Cachalia has held several senior governance roles, including as a non-executive director of the South African Reserve Bank and head of Gauteng’s Planning Commission. He’s also served on the councils of institutions like Wits University, the Mahatma Gandhi Trust and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.
President Ramaphosa’s appointment of Cachalia comes as the country faces a crisis of confidence in the criminal justice system.
The inquiry to be led by Justice Madlanga will investigate allegations involving organised crime syndicates linked to senior police officers, prosecutors, metro officials, and members of the judiciary. It will also probe whether any members of the National Executive — including cabinet ministers — enabled or benefited from this alleged criminal network.
Cachalia’s appointment is being made under Section 91(3)(c) of the Constitution, which allows the President to appoint ministers from outside Parliament.
Ramaphosa said Cachalia will officially take up his duties in August after retiring from his post at Wits.
An interim minister from within Cabinet will be named to serve in the role until then.
The President described the formation of the commission and changes in leadership as essential steps in restoring accountability and reaffirming the rule of law.
“This Commission is being established against the backdrop of significant progress in rebuilding and strengthening our country’s law enforcement agencies,” Ramaphosa said. “We will ensure that the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies continue to function without hindrance as the commission undertakes its work.”
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