President Jacob Zuma has appointed Lieutenant-General Khehla John Sithole as the new national police commissioner with immediate effect.
Sithole previously served as the divisional commissioner for protection and security services.
"Born in Standerton in Mpumalanga province, General Sitole brings a wealth of operational as well as management experience to the [police]. He has grown through the ranks of the police, having joined the service as a constable, until his promotion [to] Lieutenant-General in 2011," the presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.
"His extensive experience in the police service will assist him to execute this critical task of making South Africans and everyone in the country safer and [feeling] safer. We wish General Sithole all of the best as he assumes his new position at the helm of a very important institution in government and the country."
Sithole will take over the reins from Lesetja Mothiba, who has been the acting national commissioner.