By Marcus Moloko
Former Johannesburg Metro Police Department Chief David Tembe has been found dead at his home.
Details surrounding his passing remain unclear.
Tembe served as the head of the JMPD until 2020 and stepped down from the role. He continued to play a role in public safety. He was the previous Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) strategic advisor for Public Safety under Mayor Mpho Phalatse, and his term ended in June 2023.
In November 2025, Tembe was seen conducting outreach initiatives with the Public Safety officers, which indicates he was present in a new, different capacity than his previous one as the sitting MMC.
After serving for close to 20 years with the Emergency Management Services, Tembe was appointed Director of Operations for the JMPD in 2003.
During his time with JMPD, he was awarded and commended by the National Department of Transport for innovation and excellence in Traffic Law Enforcement. In 2011, he was appointed National Chief of Traffic (RTMC) until he resigned to pursue a career as a consultant in Law Enforcement in 2013.
His career was not without controversy. In 2020, former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found that Tembe fraudulently obtained his metropolitan police diploma qualification.
Tembe was shortlisted and ultimately appointed as Chief of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) in 2017, despite the job advertisement stipulating that candidates should hold at least a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification in a relevant field such as policing or management, a requirement he did not meet.
According to former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the evidence available to her showed that Tembe’s highest qualification was a three-year diploma in personnel management obtained from Mentor Business College.
This is a developing story.
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