Meet the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) first female Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili.
Lieutenant General Mosikili was appointed Deputy National Commissioner, responsible for Policing, earlier this year on, 1 July 2022.
As the deputy national commissioner, Lieutenant General Mosikili is responsible for overseeing all visible policing and operational environments, as well as Protection Security Services (PSS).
Lieutenant General Mosikili has also taken over the role of Co-Chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS).
In addition, she is also overseeing the Crime Detection environment.
Lieutenant General Mosikili has 33 years of service, having joined the organisation in 1989 as a student constable.
Born and bred in the Free State, this highly decorated female officer boasts three decades in the detective and visible policing environment.
Lieutenant General Mosikili has served SAPS in several roles including, as an investigator, and station commander of Mangaung, Makoane, Maokeng, Tseki, and Bethlehem police stations.
She also served as SAPS provincial head responsible for visible policing in the Free State.
Lieutenant General Mosikili also served as the deputy provincial commissioner responsible for crime detection in Gauteng.
As she steadily rose through the ranks, Mosikili went on to hold even more senior roles within the organization.
Between 2016 and 2018 she was responsible for overseeing the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Investigations (FCS) Unit.
In this role, Lieutenant General Mosikili was overseeing 176 units and nine Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations Units across the country.
The FCS unit is responsible for the policing of crimes against women, children, and vulnerable groups.
Family Violence related crimes include GBV, sexual offences, person-directed crimes (where the family is involved), the illegal removal or kidnapping of children under 12, and crimes facilitated through electronic media.
Lieutenant General Mosikili’s extensive experience and expertise in solving cases landed her the role of Divisional Commissioner: Detective Services in 2018.
Before this latest appointment, Lieutenant General Mosikili had been serving as the Deputy National Head: Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). She had held the post since August 2020.
She has represented South Africa in New York, Singapore, the Netherlands, and America in crime-fighting efforts.
Lieutenant General Mosikili also serves as a board member of Crime Stoppers International(CSI).
CSI is a global non-profit organisation representing seven regions committed to supporting law enforcement efforts to prevent and solve crimes by mobilising citizens to anonymously share information about crime and suspected illegal activity.
Following her appointment, Lieutenant General Mosikili says one of her immediate priorities will be to ensure heightened police visibility throughout the country.
“Our focus is to ensure South Africans are and feel safe. In our quest to make the country a much better place to live in, we are working on ensuring that we have more boots and resources on the ground so that we are able to prevent, combat and investigate cases,” said Lieutenant General Mosikilli, who has a B-tech degree in Policing, and is studying towards an LLB degree.
