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Police reverse promotion of Muizenberg commander facing assault charges

Published

Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Sizakhele Dyantyi confirmed that Delmore Manuel is no longer a colonel and no longer leads Muizenberg Police Station. Manuel faces criminal charges over the alleged assault and torture of a Mowbray barber.

Manuel was promoted from lieutenant-colonel to colonel. He is one of three officers accused of assaulting and torturing the barber during a police raid in November 2023. The trial of the three officers is set for May next year.

Ian Cameron, chairperson of Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee, welcomed the decision. He called the reversal a positive step towards accountability. He said those who recommended and approved the promotion must also account for their decisions.

Cameron also raised a wider concern. He said: "But we must also ask how an officer facing serious criminal charges was promoted into a senior leadership position in the first place."

Key facts

Who
Delmore Manuel (Police officer; promoted from lieutenant-colonel to colonel, facing criminal…); Ian Cameron (Chairperson of Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee); Sizakhele Dyantyi (Western Cape provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General)
What
The promotion of Colonel Delmore Manuel, who faces criminal charges over the alleged assault and torture of a Mowbray barber during a November 2023 police raid, has been reversed. Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee chairperson Ian Cameron welcomed the decision.
When
24 October 2026
Where
Mowbray, Muizenberg, Western Cape
Status
Reported

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