By Johnathan Paoli
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called for the immediate suspension of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu following damning allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo expressed his party’s alarm at the growing crisis of accountability and transparency within the SA Police Service (SAPS), stressing the need to face the issue head on.
“The briefing lays bare the existence of a powerful, organised criminal syndicate operating at the highest levels of the South African state. The EFF remains firm in its commitment to eradicating corruption and confronting the criminal syndicates that now occupy the corridors of state power,”
This follows a media briefing on Sunday, in which Mkhwanazi claimed that an entrenched criminal syndicate with links to senior politicians, law enforcement officers, judiciary members and business elites, was actively sabotaging the criminal justice system in South Africa.
According to Mkhwanazi, the now-disbanded Political Killings Task Team had made significant strides in investigating over 600 cases, resulting in more than 120 convictions and over 1,800 cumulative years of sentencing.
He alleged that the unit’s success in exposing links between political assassinations and high-ranking officials led to its targeted dismantling.
At the centre of this sabotage, he said, was Mchunu.
Thambo described the revelations as confirmation of its long-held assertion that the ANC-led government was presiding over a mafia state.
“This level of coordination, resourcing and political protection confirms the EFF’s view that political office is being used not to serve the people, but to shield criminals and extract public wealth,” he said.
Mkhwanazi alleges that Mchunu instructed the disbandment of the task team and the withdrawal of over 120 critical case dockets.
These included politically sensitive investigations into political killings and assassinations of traditional leaders.
The operation, he claimed, was executed through Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, without the authorisation of either the National or Provincial Commissioners.
Mkhwanazi also named controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala who is currently facing criminal charges as a key financier of political activities associated with Mchunu and ANC associate Brown Mogotsi.
The funds allegedly supported ANC gala dinners and political events, raising suspicions of systemic procurement interference.
The EFF has since demanded that Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, chaired by DA MP Ian Cameron, urgently convene a physical sitting to address the matter.
“We hope Mr Cameron does not continue his pattern of obstructionism and instead upholds Parliament’s constitutional mandate of oversight,” Thambo warned.
Opposition parties including ActionSA and Build One South Africa (BOSA) have echoed the EFF’s concerns, demanding parliamentary action and independent investigations.
ActionSA’s Dereleen James highlighted the urgency of the matter, calling on the country’s legislative arm to act immediately.
“Parliament must intervene without delay. The commissioner’s remarks represent one of the most alarming indictments of the state’s security apparatus in democratic South Africa,” James said.
ActionSA has formally written to the Speaker of Parliament requesting an urgent debate.
The party warned that South Africa’s criminal justice system has been “hollowed out by those tasked with eradicating criminality,” and urged Parliament to use all available legislative mechanisms to restore accountability.
Meanwhile, BOSA called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) within 30 days to probe the full extent of the alleged infiltration.
BOSA spokesperson Roger Solomons also demanded the immediate suspension of all implicated individuals, including Mchunu and Sibiya.
“It cannot be that politically compromised individuals remain in office while decisions are made that affect ongoing investigations,” Solomons said.
The ANC, in a brief statement, acknowledged Mkhwanazi’s allegations with “grave concern.”
Party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said Ramaphosa was dealing with the matter urgently.
“These matters go to the core of public confidence in the rule of law and the integrity of our institutions,” she said.
However, the ANC offered no comment on the criminal complaint registered against Mchunu by Mkhwanazi or on calls for the minister’s suspension.
Support for Mkhwanazi has also come from the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, which joined the EFF in praising his courage and demanding accountability.
Both parties are calling for charges of defeating the ends of justice to be laid against Mchunu and Sibiya.
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