By Thapelo Molefe
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has endorsed the renewal of provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s contract, as the top cop’s current term is due to expire on 30 March 2026.
In a statement issued by the provincial government on Thursday, Ntuli said Mkhwanazi’s leadership had been central to policing efforts in a province grappling with violent crime, including politically linked killings and extortion.
“I have consistently maintained that there is no basis not to recommend a police officer of the calibre of Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to continue with the work he is doing,” Ntuli said.
Ntuli said stable leadership in the South African Police Service was critical to the safety and socio-economic development of KwaZulu-Natal, and praised Mkhwanazi’s “discipline, work ethic, and commitment to ethical and accountable policing”.
Under Section 207(3) of South Africa’s Constitution, the national police commissioner appoints a provincial commissioner “with the concurrence of the provincial executive (the Premier),” the provincial government statement said. Ntuli recently met National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to discuss the matter.
In July 2025, Mkhwanazi made waves when he publicly alleged that organised crime and politically connected actors had penetrated parts of South Africa’s criminal justice system.
President Cyril Ramaphosa responded by placing the then police minister, Senzo Mchunu, on immediate leave of absence, announcing a judicial commission of inquiry chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, and naming an acting police minister.
The commission’s mandate is tied to the allegations Mkhwanazi made public, and it has been running alongside a separate parliamentary ad hoc process examining related claims.
Among the key issues under scrutiny is the fate of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). Mkhwanazi and other witnesses have linked the task team’s shutdown to a written instruction from Mchunu dated 31 December 2024.
The Madlanga Commission has also heard evidence about political-killing case files being removed from KwaZulu-Natal, including testimony alleging that 121 PKTT dockets were transferred to SAPS headquarters in Pretoria and sat unattended for months — a point that remains part of contested evidence before the inquiry, not a final finding.
In addition, commission testimony has referenced an alleged Gauteng-based criminal network sometimes described as the “Big Five”, with witnesses linking businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and North West businessman Brown Mogotsi to the alleged syndicate.
Ramaphosa received an interim report from the Madlanga Commission on 17 December 2025. The report is not public, and the Presidency said the commission, currently in recess, will hear further testimony from new or returning witnesses.
INSIDE POLITICS