With South Africa's police force rocked by high-level corruption scandals, President Jacob Zuma has gone outside its ranks – and across the gender barrier – to appoint the country's first female police chief, Mangwashi Victoria Phiyega.

Phiyega will replace the former police commissioner, General Bheki Cele, who was fired in a cabinet reshuffle. Cele had previously been suspended after accusations of corruption involving the leases on police offices. And he had got the job himself after his predecessor was convicted of taking $156,000 in bribes from a drug dealer.

New broom

Phiyega has experience on the boards of several large companies, sat on the committee that successfully bid for South Africa to host the 2010 football World Cup, and is known for her community work with women and children. So she's well qualified – except that she has no policing experience.

As a result, her appointment has prompted mixed responses. Many welcome a change from the predictably corrupt chain of police chiefs; but others – including the police union – are beginning to lash out against what looks to them like a politically motivated reshuffle.

Read more: The Guardian looks at police reactions to a refreshing but problematic appointment.