By Johnathan Paoli
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has made startling allegations of political interference, obstruction of justice, and high-level corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Mkhwanazi has accused several senior SAPS officials of corrupt practices and implicated Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, alleging his ongoing communication with individuals linked to criminal activities.
Additionally, he disclosed that 121 cases initially under investigation by the political killings task team were removed before its dissolution.
Addressing the media in Durban in full military attire and under heavy security, Mkhwanazi detailed how political meddling has allegedly undermined critical investigations into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond.
“Fighting organised crime remains a priority as directed by the government. The National Commissioner remains my commander and a commander of all of us as we wear this uniform, and we must protect this badge and the police commissioner. I call on men and women in law enforcement, the SAPS and the Metro Police to stand up and protect our people,” Mkhwanazi said.
He claimed the integrity and operational independence of the Political Killings Task Team, established in 2018 under presidential directive, have been compromised through deliberate sabotage by senior police officials allegedly acting under political instruction.
Mkhwanazi revealed that since its establishment, the Political Killings Task Team has investigated 612 dockets covering murders, attempted murders, intimidation, and conspiracies to kill.
To date 436 suspects have been arrested and charged; 156 firearms have been confiscated; 55 of those firearms were forensically linked to political killings; 35 SAPS members have also been arrested; and 128 convictions have been secured, including 29 life sentences.
These milestones, Mkhwanazi said, reflected the task team’s dedication to tackling politically driven criminal networks across the province.
The commissioner accused Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, of removing 121 active political case dockets from the task team’s jurisdiction on instruction from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in a move allegedly executed without informing the National Police Commissioner or the KZN command structure.
“These dockets have been sitting in the archives at head office in Pretoria since March. Five of them had clear arrest instructions. But nothing is being done,” Mkhwanazi said.
He added: “Sibiya, acting on the instruction of the Minister, removed these dockets. God knows why. But I can assure you, no one has touched them since.”
The media briefing also highlighted the arrest of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a businessman allegedly awarded SAPS contracts worth R360 million.
Mkhwanazi said forensic analysis of Matlala’s cellphone unearthed direct communication with both Minister Mchunu and his associate Brown Mogotsi, suggesting that Matlala had financed political events and was alerted to internal SAPS decisions, including the disbandment of the task team.
“The firearms recovered from this operation weren’t only linked to one murder. Ballistic tests show they were used in multiple high-profile political killings, including the murders of well-known artists in Gauteng,” Mkhwanazi noted.
He added that leaked SAPS intelligence, including sensitive presentations and internal strategy slides, were being circulated by Mogotsi, a civilian not employed by the department via WhatsApp.
In a significant twist, Mkhwanazi pointed to the task team’s 2024 redeployment to assist Gauteng’s Organised Crime Unit in investigating a high-level syndicate operating in Mbombela (Nelspruit).
The team uncovered alleged links between the syndicate and senior figures in the SAPS, metro police, Correctional Services, the judiciary, and business sectors, triggering a cascade of political reactions.
“That syndicate was a ticking bomb, the moment we started pulling the thread, everything began unravelling, including parts of our own justice system. And that’s when the orders came—kill the task team,” Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi defended his team’s work and vowed to continue the fight against crime and corruption.
“I will die for this badge, and I will die for them,, y families are spread across provinces. It is my duty, and the duty of every officer, to protect them. I am not going to surrender their safety to anyone,” he said.
He announced that the KZN police have now registered a criminal investigation into what he described as “organised crime’s infiltration of the criminal justice system.”
The allegations have triggered a national uproar.
Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya, accused of facilitating the sabotage of investigations, dismissed the claims: “I’ve been in the service for 37 years. People in all provinces know me. I will respond word for word to these false allegations.”
Independent Policing Union of SA’s Mpho Kwinika urged National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to “reassure the nation” and “restore confidence” in SAPS, stressing that “our police must be beyond reproach.”
Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana called for a judicial inquiry into Mkhwanazi’s claims and urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the country upon his return from the BRICS Summit.
Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson Ian Cameron expressed grave concern, calling for “an urgent and transparent response” from Minister Mchunu, whose credibility is now under intense public scrutiny.
Cameron said he has written to the National Assembly Speaker, requesting an urgent parliamentary debate on the allegations.
“These allegations, if proven, paint a troubling picture of a police leadership unable or unwilling to uphold its constitutional duty to combat crime without fear or favour,” he said.
“Parliament and the Presidency must ensure these claims are independently and thoroughly investigated to restore public trust and demonstrate accountability.”
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