Shadrack Sibiya, South Africa's deputy national police commissioner, has stepped down from his post after being charged with sexual offences involving two young women, one of them a minor.
Sibiya had denied the allegations against him. The charges include grooming a 16-year-old girl and raping an 18-year-old woman.
His resignation comes at a deeply uncomfortable moment for a police service already under pressure to rebuild public trust. For many South Africans, the sight of a senior law enforcement official facing charges of this nature cuts close to the bone, raising hard questions about who is minding the institution meant to protect the most vulnerable.
The story is far from over. As the legal process moves forward, all eyes will be on how the South African Police Service responds to the vacuum left at the top and whether accountability will follow through to its conclusion.
Originally published by BBC Africa.