DPCI appoints new provincial heads

The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as the Hawks), Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has welcomed the appointment of the provincial heads of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in the Free State and the Western Cape.

This follows the appointment of Major General Mokgadi Bokaba as the Free State Provincial Head and Major General Mathipa Makgato as the Western Cape provincial head.

Bokaba was previously the section head of Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) within the directorate, specialising in major financial investigations. She cut her teeth in the investigation world when she was appointed as a junior investigator for the then Directorate of Specialised Operations (DSO), commonly known as the Scorpions, from 2002.

She subsequently held various roles within the DSO until 2007 when she was appointed as a senior investigator within the National Prosecuting Authority’ (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU).

During her tenure, she was part of a team tasked with investigating high profile cases that included theft, money laundering, fraud and racketeering. She had also previously worked at one of the major banks in the country prior to her tenure with the DSO.

Amongst other credentials, Bokaba holds a B-Tech in Forensic Investigation from the University of South Africa (UNISA), a National Diploma in Accounting from the Tshwane University of Technology, a Diploma in Forensic Auditing and Criminal Justice completed at the University of Johannesburg.

Makgato started his career as a constable in 1988 and climbed the ranks of the South African Police Service when he was promoted to captain in 2000.

During his tenure as a captain, Makgato served as a commander in the following units: Client Service Centre in Honeydew; Westonaria Detectives, as an area task team commander and as a group commander at Florida Detectives.

He was then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2004 and appointed to the Serious and Violent Crimes unit.

He continued his work as Lieutenant Colonel at Organised Crime in Gauteng. He was transferred to Pretoria in 2010, where he assumed his duties as a group leader and investigator at  Organised Crime.

In 2010, he was appointed as a Section Commander at DPCI and promoted to colonel in 2012 at the Serious Organised Crime unit in the Northern Cape.

During his tenure as a provincial commander, he was promoted to brigadier and appointed as the Section Head – Serious Organised Crime.

Makgato holds a National Diploma in Public Administration and a B-Tech Degree from Technikon South Africa, and is currently studying toward an M-Tech degree at UNISA.

Lebeya welcomed the new appointments, saying they will go a long way in addressing capacity challenges currently faced by the directorate.