South Africa: Zuma appoints new head of anti-graft police unit

South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday picked a legal veteran as the head of the anti-corruption police unit.

Jan Lekhoa Mothibi, a lawyer who has held executive and senior management positions at Standard Bank and Nedbank, takes over from Wilhelm Visagie, who was the acting head of the Special Investigating Unit, the presidency said in a statement.

According to its website, the principal functions of the unit are to investigate serious malpractices, maladministration and corruption in connection with the administration of state institutions and to take appropriate action.

The appointment comes hours before the debate in parliament on the motion to impeach Zuma after South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled that he had failed to uphold the constitution by ignoring instructions to pay back some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovations at his sprawling residence at Nkandla.

Reuters