By Dylan Bettencourt
- Firoz Cachalia is a respected constitutional law expert and former struggle activist who heads the Mandela Institute at Wits.
- The 66-year-old has government experience as a former Gauteng MEC but faces the massive challenge of cleaning up a corrupt police force.
With Police Minister Senzo Mchunu kicked out over organised crime allegations, President Cyril Ramaphosa has turned to a quiet law professor to try and save South Africa’s broken police force.
But who is Firoz Cachalia, and can this academic handle one of the toughest jobs in government?
Born in Benoni in 1958, Cachalia is a respected law professor at Wits University who heads the prestigious Mandela Institute. His work focuses on constitutional law, but he knows his way around many areas of the legal system.
The 66-year-old was an anti-apartheid fighter during the struggle years before joining politics when democracy arrived. He became an ANC member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 1994 and worked his way up to become Speaker in 1999, serving until 2004.
Politics runs deep in the Cachalia family. His brother is Judge Azhar Cachalia, and his cousin is former DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia, showing this is a family that knows power and the law.
Cachalia has real government experience that could help him in this nightmare job. He served as Gauteng MEC for Community Safety from 2004 to 2009, giving him direct experience with policing issues. He then became MEC for Economic Development until 2010.
More recently, in 2022, he was appointed chair of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, meaning he already knows how deep the corruption problem runs in government.
But not everyone is happy with his appointment. The EFF is already attacking the move, arguing that the Constitution says the president should give a minister’s powers to another minister, not bring in someone from outside the Cabinet.
However, the law does allow Ramaphosa to appoint two ministers from outside Parliament, which should cover Cachalia’s appointment legally.
His cousin Ghaleb supported the choice, saying, “Firoz is well qualified. He’s worked in public safety and has strong legal credentials.”
But Ghaleb also delivered a brutal warning about what Cachalia is walking into.
“The problem is not Firoz. It’s the deep corruption in the ANC and the police. That’s going to be tough to fix. I hope he does his best,” he said, The Citizen reported.
Ramaphosa says a caretaker minister will be named soon, as Cachalia is still finishing his work at Wits University. He is expected to officially take over the poisoned chalice in August.
Pictured above: Law professor Firoz Cachalia has been named as acting police minister.
Image source: @CrimeWatch_RSA
