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KZN’s Top Cop Blasts Police Minister Over Political Interference

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Last updated: 6 Jul 2025, 21:29
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KwaZulu‑Natal police commissioner Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi unleashed a fierce public attack on Sunday, accusing Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and other senior officials of “political interference” in active investigations and dismantling critical police units.

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Mkhwanazi revealed that the Political Killings Task Team—a multidisciplinary unit probing politically motivated killings since 2018—had its case files suddenly withdrawn in March. A total of 121 dockets, involving murders and conspiracies under investigation, were transferred to Pretoria on orders he claims came directly from Mchunu via Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, without notifying him or National Commissioner Fannie Masemola.

He asserted those files have since languished at SAPS head office, with no follow-up and no movement on outstanding arrest warrants. The removal, alleges Mkhwanazi, was aimed at halting the unit’s exposure of a major syndicate involving politicians, prosecutors, Metro Police, Correctional Services, SAPS members—and a drug cartel—operating out of Gauteng.

Adding fuel to the fire, Mkhwanazi claimed Mchunu had denied knowing a key operative, Brown Mokgotsi, in Parliament before later acknowledging their association—a revelation that undermines trust in his testimony.

Minister Mchunu responded by denouncing the allegations as “wild,” “baseless” and lacking evidence. He emphasized that he would safeguard his integrity and that of the ministry and vowed to pursue a transparent investigation into Mkhwanazi’s public statements.

Deputy Commissioner Sibiya likewise hit back hard, insisting Mkhwanazi was behaving like “a criminal…a warlord” and accused him of seeking to disrupt disciplined police leadership.

The MK Party backed Mkhwanazi’s call for accountability, demanding he formally charge Mchunu and Sibiya with “defeating the ends of justice”

Criminologist Prof Nirmala Gopal from UKZN described the claims as vindicating long-held suspicions of high-level corruption within SAPS. However, she warned Mkhwanazi that he could face disciplinary action or even dismissal for bringing the service into disrepute.

Similarly, Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast from Nelson Mandela University noted the severity of the allegations would likely draw in President Ramaphosa, stating, “Politicians tend to lean towards decisions that can keep them in political office longer”.

 

 

Community Brown Mokgotsi Criminologist Prof Nirmala Gopal Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi National Commissioner Fannie Masemola Police Minister Senzo Mchunu Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast Senzo Mchunu