South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has named Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe as Acting Minister of Police with immediate effect. The temporary appointment follows Ramaphosa’s decision to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave amid allegations of political interference and corruption in the South African Police Service. Mantashe will retain his mining and energy portfolio while overseeing the police ministry until Professor Firoz Cachalia, who is due to retire from the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of July, assumes the post on 1 August. The Presidency emphasized that the arrangement is interim and intended to ensure continuity in the security portfolio. The shake-up comes as Ramaphosa establishes a judicial commission of inquiry, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, to investigate claims that criminal syndicates have infiltrated law-enforcement and intelligence agencies. The probe was prompted by accusations from KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that senior officials, including Mchunu, obstructed investigations into political killings and organised crime.