By: Natasha Archary

The South African Police Service (SAPS) bid farewell to Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Elias Mawela who retired from service on Wednesday, 31 January.
After nearly four decades of service, Lt. Gen Mawela has hung up his boots and bows out of SAPS, dedicating 39-years of his life as a loyal member in blue.
National Commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola praised Lt. Gen Mawela for his dedicated service, and being an epitome of a servant leader.
General Masemola said Mawela accomplished a lot during his illustrious career, but his brainchild operation, “O KAE MOLAO”, which inspired Operation Shanela, was Mawela’s most recent triumph.
O KAE MOLAO saw Gauteng police officers embark on high density operations to trace wanted suspects, confiscate illegal goods and recover illegal and stolen vehicles and firearms.
“This is a commander who has left an indelible footprint as an operator in all units, stations and components he has led.
A true operator, a man of action, to him it didn’t matter where he was deployed to, he served the people of South Africa for the past four decades with sheer diligence and commitment.
It has been an honour to serve alongside you. We will miss him and wish him well in his retirement. Thank you to his family for allowing him to serve.”
General Masemola praised Lt. Gen Mawela for his 39-years of service
Lt. Gen Mawela joined the SAPS as a student Constable in 1984 where he started serving in the Mamelodi policing precint and worked his way up in the ranks to the level of Lieutenant General in 2011.
He has served in a number of senior roles and capacities including that of Deputy Area Commissioner of Pretoria, Component Head: Border policing, Divisional Commissioner: Operational Response Services(ORS) and Natjoints Chairperson.
SAPS bids farewell to the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner,Lieutenant General Elias Mawela after 39 years of uninterrupted, loyal&dedicated service. Mawela is the brainchild behind OPERATION O KAE MOLAO. He has been described as a visionary and exemplary OPERATOR. He retires today pic.twitter.com/T1py9eBKOm
— Athlenda Mathe (@AthlendaM) January 31, 2024
Also read: ANC calls Zak Park shooting that claimed Comrade’s life “cold and calculated murder”



