Pretoria: National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega has withdrawn the appointment of Major General Mondli Zuma as Gauteng Provincial Commissioner.

During a press conference on Saturday, Phiyega announced Zuma as a replacement to Mzwandile Petros who vacated the position of Gauteng Commissioner last month.

However, it has since emerged that Major General Zuma will soon be appearing in court on various charges and that he had violated an instruction issued on 28 May 2013 to all employees advising them that it was mandatory to declare any pending criminal investigation against them.

“Failure to comply is regarded as serious misconduct,” said Phiyega.

Prior to the appointment, in line with South African Police Service prescripts, it was established that Major General Zuma did not have criminal record. It was further established that he did not have any internal disciplinary charges pending against him.

Phiyega said she became aware of the court charges against Major General Zuma just after the media briefing on Saturday.

In a meeting with the Major General, he confirmed that he has appeared several times in court since 2008 when the matter was first heard. He will be appearing again this month.

“It is clear that, in line with this policy, Major General Zuma failed to comply with the provisions of the instruction. I have therefore taken a firm decision to permanently withdraw his appointment,” said Phiyega in a statement.

Disciplinary steps will be taken against Major General Zuma for his failure to declare the pending criminal charges.

In the interim, Lieutenant General Lesetja Mothiba, Divisional Commissioner for Visible Policing, will act as the Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng.