Presidency Honours SAPS Brigadier Dineo Mokwele at Women's Day Event
- Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni invited Brigadier Dineo Mokwele as her special guest at the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March
- Mokwele, a former BMW mechatronics engineer, was classified as a mere clerk despite holding a Diploma in Mechatronics, a BTech and an MBA
- Her 2024 appointment as head of a SAPS Crime Intelligence unit led to her arrest by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption
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GAUTENG - The woman at the centre of one of South Africa's most controversial policing appointments was given a seat of honour at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 9 August 2026.
Brigadier Dineo Mokwele attended the 70th anniversary commemoration of the 1956 Women's March as the personal guest of Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. The event, hosted at the Union Buildings, marked the legacy of more than 20,000 women who marched against oppression more than seven decades ago.
The Presidency shared the moment publicly, explaining why Mokwele's presence carried such weight. In its statement, it described how she had been subjected to the denigration of her status purely on the basis of being an African girl-child, classified as a mere clerk despite holding a Diploma in Mechatronics, a BTech in Industrial Engineering and an MBA.
Ntshavheni said the country was honouring the women who came before while reaffirming that the sacrifices of previous generations would not be in vain.
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"We will celebrate the strength, contributions and achievements of women today, Brigadier Dineo Mokwele and others, as we renew our commitment to building a South Africa where every woman and girl child can live, lead and thrive."
From BMW engineer to SAPS controversy
Before she became a brigadier, Mokwele worked as a mechatronics engineer at BMW. In 2024, she was appointed as a civilian to head the Technical Support Services unit within SAPS Crime Intelligence.
Her appointment quickly attracted scrutiny. The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption arrested her alongside Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and other senior officers on fraud and corruption charges. The allegations centred on claims that she lacked the required qualifications and policing experience for the role.
The matter became a central focus of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, drawing national attention to questions about appointments and orruption within South Africa's intelligence structures.
IDAC head Andrea Johnson apologises to Dineo Mokwele
Previously, Briefly News reported that the head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, Andrea Johnson, was forced into a public apology at the Madlanga Commission on Thursday, 23 July, after it emerged that statements she had made about a senior Crime Intelligence officer were factually incorrect. Johnson apologised directly to Brigadier Dineo Mokwele after admitting she had claimed the officer was unqualified for her position without actually verifying her credentials
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Source: Briefly News
