Suspended Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela has lost her latest attempt to stop the board of inquiry investigating misconduct allegations against her.

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed her application for leave to appeal on Wednesday, 17 June. This means the inquiry can now go ahead.

Judge Anthony Millar said he wasn't convinced another court would reach a different conclusion. He also noted that by participating in the board of inquiry, Manamela had already given up her right to appeal.

Manamela is accused of accepting gifts worth nearly R300,000 from what the SAPS calls “semi-official funds.” She's also charged with approving unlawful promotions for police officers who had pending corruption cases.

The SAPS charged her in February 2023 and suspended her soon after. Since then, she's tried several times to stop the board of inquiry from being convened.

In her latest court bid, Manamela also wanted the suspended National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to be held in contempt of court. She argued that the board of inquiry shouldn't proceed until her case at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) was finalised.

But Judge Millar ruled that the board of inquiry is a statutory process that must happen while she's still in office. He said she couldn't interdict it because she hadn't shown a clear right to stop it.

Manamela also wanted the SAPS to pay for her legal representation during the inquiry, citing a 2017 police instruction that covers legal costs in criminal or inquiry matters. The judge said she failed to establish that right and had delayed applying for it for three years before bringing the urgent application in May.

Judge Millar dismissed her initial interdict application in May. Her attempt to appeal that decision has now also failed.

“I'm persuaded that by Manamela’s participation in the board of inquiry, she has preempted her right to appeal in any event,” the judgment reads.

The board of inquiry will now examine the allegations against Manamela. If found guilty, she could face disciplinary action including dismissal.

  • Manamela is the suspended Mpumalanga provincial police commissioner
  • She faces misconduct charges for accepting gifts worth nearly R300,000 from SAPS semi-official funds
  • She also allegedly approved unlawful promotions for officers with pending corruption cases
  • The Gauteng High Court dismissed her leave to appeal on 17 June 2026
  • Judge Millar ruled she failed to establish a right to paid legal representation
  • The SAPS first charged her in February 2023
  • She was suspended shortly after the charges were laid