CAPE TOWN, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday appointed Lieutenant General Khehla Sitole as the new National Police Commissioner with immediate effect after the post had been vacant for more than two years.
"His extensive experience in the police service will assist him to execute this critical task of making South Africans and everyone in the country safer and to feel safer," Zuma said.
Sitole is taking the helm of a very important institution in the government and the country, said Zuma.
Sitole brings a wealth of operational as well as management experience to the South African Police Service, Zuma said.
Sitole has grown through the ranks of the police, having joined the service as a constable until his promotion as a lieutenant general in 2011.
The opposition as well as Members of Parliament had repeatedly urged Zuma to fill the vacant post with someone capable of leading the fight against rising crime.
According to the latest figures released by Police Minister Fikile Mbalula last month, South Africa has seen a rise in violent crimes in the 2016/2017 financial year, with murders and aggravated robberies up 1.8 percent and 6.4 percent respectively.
