Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, who was suspended in January, has been fired. Mohlala was suspended shortly after he defended suspended Mpumalanga SAPS Commissioner General Semakaleng Manamela during a live interview with Newsroom Afrika.

Mohlala did the interview even after national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola had directed that only spokespersons within his office be authorised to talk about the matter. Manamela was suspended last year, but she fought her suspension in court and won. Her victory was short-lived when she was suspended again last month. She is being accused of ordering police station commanders in the province to use state funds to buy her furniture and appliances worth R2 million to celebrate her July 2021 appointment. During the interview last year December, Mohlala said that Manamela did not do anything unlawful, as this was also done by a previous commissioner upon assuming office. He even supplied the news channel with video clips to prove his claims. With her suspension last month, Manamea was also charged with nepotism, corruption, and money laundering.

In an interview with ZiMoja earlier this year, Mohlala alleged that he was being targeted because he was very close to Manamela. He said that the R2m worth of gifts were bought using stokvel money. "This is something that has always been there in Mpumalanga, where police officers come together and save money to use on rainy days. When we feel that the money we have saved is enough, we decide collectively, as different police officers from different police stations, whether we can invest it or split it. Now someone who has retired from the SAPS but was part of the stokvel started questioning our stokvel, but he never questioned it when he was still in the force,' Mohlala said at the time, referring to the province's former police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thulani Ntobela, whose forensic investigation company conducted a pro bono investigation on Manamela and made adverse findings. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said that the SAPS, chose not to comment on the matter. Attempts to get a comment from Mohlala proved fruitless as his phone ran unanswered.