By Sihle Mavuso
A coalition representing 16 civic organisations has asked the Madlanga Commission to call President Cyril Ramaphosa to testify about what he knew of alleged criminal infiltration and political interference in South Africa’s law-enforcement and intelligence structures.
The organisations, operating under the umbrella of the Progressive Civics Congress (PCC), said Ramaphosa should be questioned under oath about the intelligence and security briefings he received before KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi publicly raised the allegations on 6 July 2025.
The PCC said that Ramaphosa’s constitutional and executive responsibilities for the country’s intelligence services made it necessary for him to explain what information had reached the Presidency and what action, if any, had followed.
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In a letter seen by Inside Politics, the organisations said it was inconceivable that Ramaphosa had been unaware of the allegations before Mkhwanazi’s media briefing.
The letter was jointly signed by Mthunzi Luthuli, a grandson of former ANC president-general and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Chief Albert Luthuli, and Rachel Makhubele.
They said the President should tell the country, under oath, what he knew and what he did not know. The commission should summon him if necessary, they said, warning that a failure to do so could damage its credibility.
The organisations submitted 20 proposed questions for Ramaphosa.
These include how often he receives written intelligence reports and verbal briefings on national intelligence and security matters, which officials brief him and whether the alleged infiltration of the security cluster by criminal syndicates had previously been raised with him.
They also want the commission to establish whether such information was reported to Ramaphosa and, if so, why he did not act.
The PCC proposed that Ramaphosa be asked whether Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who has been on leave of absence since July 2025, had ever informed him of allegations that senior police officials and other law-enforcement agencies were working with criminal syndicates.
“We wish to emphasise that the aim of this request is to ensure accountable, transparent, and ethical leadership. South Africa simply cannot continue to fail to hold its leaders accountable,” the PCC said in the letter.
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“It is this failure that leads to laziness, dereliction of duty, poor service delivery, crime, unemployment, poverty and inequality. Those who are not patriotic about our country, or are unfit to hold office, must vacate office. The costs of being too soft on public servants are just too much for our country.
“We are hopeful that this Commission will be more effective than all the previous Commissions in holding those responsible for the crime crisis in South Africa accountable. Kindly revert to us within seven days. Should the Commission wish to discuss anything related to this petition, we can be reached using the contact details indicated below,” the PCC said.
The Madlanga Commission, formally known as the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, was established following Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
Its mandate includes examining allegations that criminal syndicates had infiltrated law-enforcement and intelligence structures and determining whether senior officials or political office-bearers failed to act on relevant information.
The commission has the power to summon witnesses and compel the production of relevant evidence, but decisions about who appears remain with the commission’s chairperson.
Asked whether the commission had received the PCC’s request, spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said it did not disclose confidential correspondence with members of the public.
“It is important to note that the Commission is an independent inquisitorial body, and its processes are therefore not determined by public or any other external submissions regarding who should appear before it,” Michaels said.
