Johannesburg, South Africa — The National Police Commissioner of South Africa, General Fanie Masemola, survived an assassination attempt last night when unknown assailants ambushed his motorcade on the N1 highway near Pretoria. The attack left two police officers wounded, one critically, before the assailants fled into the night. General Masemola, who was returning from a crime prevention summit in Limpopo, escaped unharmed.
British security advisors from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Operations Unit have been deployed to support the South African Police Service (SAPS) investigation, according to a joint statement from the UK High Commission and the SAPS. The statement described the attack as a “direct assault on the rule of law” and a “sophisticated, premeditated operation.” This is the second high-profile assassination attempt against a senior South African law enforcement official in six months; in July, an attempted hit on the Deputy National Commissioner for Policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, was thwarted by intelligence-led interdiction.
The motives remain unclear, but analysts point to General Masemola’s aggressive crackdown on mining-related crime and his role in the ongoing Zondo Commission’s recommendations against state capture networks. The South African government has labelled the incident an act of “domestic terror” and has increased security for all provincial police commissioners. The mayor of Johannesburg, Mpho Phalatse, condemned the attack, stating: “An attack on our Police Commissioner is an attack on the state’s ability to protect its citizens.
” The UK advisors will provide forensic analysis, threat assessment, and operational planning. Their presence underscores the deepening security ties between the two nations, forged through years of cooperation against organised crime. The SAPS has promised “maximum transparency” but urged patience as the investigation unfolds.
For now, the message from Pretoria is clear: they will not be deterred.
