The Eastern Cape has a new top cop, with national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola naming Lieutenant-General Vuyisile Ncata as the new provincial commissioner.
He replaces Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene, who retired in February after 40 years in the service.
Ncata said he saw his appointment as more than a personal honour but a heavy responsibility that he was ready to take on.
“I am fit for the purpose. I am ready to lead all the men and women in blue in our province, knowing our challenges very well.”
Ncata has 31 years of distinguished service, having joined the police service in 1995 as a student constable.
He rose steadily through the ranks, taking on a variety of leadership roles, including serving as station commander of two police stations in gang-plagued communities in the Western Cape.
After achieving the rank of major-general, Ncata returned to the Eastern Cape to serve as the district commissioner for the Nelson Mandela Bay district, a position he held until his latest appointment.
Speaking at the police’s Eastern Cape provincial headquarters in Zwelitsha, near Qonce, on Tuesday, Masemola said he trusted Ncata to deal decisively with the challenges facing the province, including gang violence, murders, insurance murders and other serious and violent crimes.
He said Ncata’s experience as a seasoned operational commander would help him in his duties.
Masemola also referred to this week’s march in KuGompo City which turned violent, leading to buildings and cars being burned and foreign nationals harassed.
Public order policing units were deployed to disperse the chaotic crowds in the city centre on Monday.
“We cannot allow a situation where vehicles are torched and buildings damaged.
“Such actions will not be tolerated by law enforcement, and those involved in these acts are being investigated and sought by police,” Masemola said.
“The communities of the Eastern Cape must rest assured that we are restoring law and order to the area with our main goal to protect all affected.”
Ncata said the Eastern Cape was vast and faced a range of challenges.
However, he warned criminals in the province that their days were numbered, saying the police would deal with them.
“Our issues include the murders, the extortions, the robberies in different parts of our province, like Nelson Mandela Bay where I come from, Mthatha, the OR Tambo [region], where there are still problems of extortion.
“Then there is stock theft that must also be taken very seriously.
“Organised crime must be dealt with, and those behind criminal activities in the province must be warned; they must know their time and their activities are not just going to be watched — they’re going to be dealt with.”
Addressing the new provincial commissioner, premier Oscar Mabuyane said he wanted Ncata to strengthen the police’s investigative capacity, improve victim support mechanisms and ensure that perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide faced the full might of the law, swiftly and decisively.
Mabuyane said gang violence, contact crimes, extortion, stock theft and underage substance abuse were some of the serious crimes plaguing the province.
“The recent spate of mass shootings in areas such as Kwazakhele in Gqeberha, often occurring in and around taverns and social gatherings, has created an environment of fear and instability.
“These are not isolated incidents; they point to deeper issues of illegal firearms, organised crime networks and insufficient deterrence.
“We must disrupt the circulation of illegal weapons and dismantle the criminal networks that enable these acts.
“Another pressing challenge confronting our province is the rise of criminal syndicates targeting the construction industry and catalytic infrastructure projects.
“These so-called construction mafias engage in extortion, intimidation and violence, threatening not only the safety of workers but also the viability of critical development projects.”
Mabuyane said the new commissioner and the police were not alone in the fight against crime, and his office would support that of the provincial commissioner through the provision of resources, partnerships and co-ordinated interventions.
Major-General Thandiswa Kupiso acted briefly as provincial commissioner before Ncata’s appointment.
Daily Dispatch