The head of the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Andrea Johnson, was forced to retract her disparaging "token appointment" remark about Brigadier Dineo Mokwele. However, the reader argues that the retraction cannot undo the reputational damage already inflicted on the senior SAPS officer.
Being exceptionally qualified for a senior position in the South African Police Service's Crime Intelligence division, yet still being labelled a "token appointment", must have been deeply damaging for Brigadier Dineo Mokwele.
Recent proceedings before the Madlanga Commission have raised serious questions about the conduct of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), particularly its handling of allegations surrounding Mokwele's appointment and the subsequent prosecution of Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo.
Describing a highly qualified black woman as a "token appointment" carries troubling implications. Whether rooted in professional jealousy, misogyny, unconscious bias or outright racism, the phrase diminishes an individual's qualifications, experience and achievements. Too often, accomplished black professionals continue to have their competence questioned despite meeting, or exceeding, the requirements for senior positions.
