The allegations made at a Sunday 6 July 2025 press conference by KwaZulu‑Natal Provincial Commissioner of Police, Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi are nothing short of seismic; a no-holds-barred exposé accusing Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of having ties to corrupt businessmen, meddling in criminal investigations, and suppressing prosecutions. Mkhwanazi claims that the work of the KZN’s Political Killings Task Team in assisting the Gauteng police with investigations involving criminal networks in the province, led to the Minister writing a letter to disband the task team.
It did not stop there. Mkhwanazi named Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, as part of a criminal network operating inside SAPS. His claims paint a picture of senior police officers, prosecutors, and even members of the judiciary colluding to protect criminals and enable crime.
Mchunu and Sibiya have dismissed the accusations. The Minister promised to review the allegations and respond formally. President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to outline actions to be taken on the allegations on his return from the BRICS summit.
Political interference in investigations
Mkhwanazi claims the Political Killings Task Team, making significant headway on high-profile murders, was disbanded under alleged directives tied to Mchunu. If accurate, this points to a troubling trend: political authority undermining law enforcement autonomy.
Corrupt entanglements within SAPS
The commissioner went as far as to allege there are high‑ranking police officials and politicians collaborating with drug cartels. Mkhwanazi’s allegations are not abstract. He says drug cartels have allies in the police service and in politics. One remembers the relationship between convicted drug lord Glen Agliotti and then Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, that led to Selebi being found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 15 years in 2010. Former Minister Bheki Cele faced similar claims of proximity to crime networks. History, it seems, is repeating itself.
Smoke, maybe fire?
This is not the first time Mchunu has been implicated. In March, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) had filed – but swiftly retracted – a complaint originally attributed to the minister against Mkhwanazi concerning interference in a prison-corruption probe. That reversal triggered sharp suspicion that true influences remain hidden.
A Commissioner in the crosshairs
Mkhwanazi has a track record of pushing back against corruption. He defended Crime Intelligence’s Major General Feroz Khan and challenged dubious arrests. Mkhwanazi strongly believes that IPID’s decision to investigate him on a 2023 case owed to his decision to clear Khan, on charges related to a 2021 Joburg cocaine bust. It may be that those who expose high-level rot often face political blowback.
In 2007, National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Adv. Vusi Pikoli was suspended by then president Thabo Mbeki for daring to issue a warrant of arrent against then National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. Pikoli was later fired by Mbeki’s successor, Kgalema Motlanthe. Has the script changed?
Why it matters
Trust and accountability: If policing, meant to shield the public, is instead manipulated to shield the powerful, public trust in the entire system erodes. We have previously reflected on a number of allegations involving senior policemen and women: former National Police Commissioners Kgomotso Phalane, Ria Phiyega and Khehla Sithole, former IPID Head Robert MacBride, former Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation (commonly known as Hawks) Head Berning Ntlemeza, and former Crime Intelligence boss Richard Mdluli. Another Hawks boss, Anwa Dramat, along with Shadrack Sibiya, at some point faced changes relating to organised crime, kidnapping, violations of the Immigration Act and obstruction of justice in relation to the unlawful rendition of Zimbabwean nationals wanted by the police at the time. Although charges were later withdrawn, this incident did dent the image of the police.
When the police are weaponised to protect the powerful, the public loses faith in the system. Even when charges are dropped, public trust takes a hit.
Crime-fighting effectiveness: Draining resources or discouraging honest officers cripple the state’s ability to confront violence and organised crime.
If the allegation of political meddling is true, then it raises further questions about SAPS ability to effectively fight crime. The political-administrative interface refers to the dynamic and sometimes challenging relationship between elected political officials and appointed public administrators within government structures. This interface, as the National Development Plan (Vision 2030) articulates it, is a crucial aspect of public service delivery and governance, impacting the effectiveness of service delivery and the overall stability of the government.
Precious few honest voices under siege: Mkhwanazi is not alone. Others in SAPS and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) have condemned these manoeuvres. There are also reports that Crime Intelligence boss, Dumisani Khumalo, who is currently out on bail after being arrested recently, was targeted for his efforts to clean up the rot in the crime intelligence. There were also rumours two weeks ago of an imminent arrest of the current National Police Commissioner General Fanie Masemola. From Mkhwanazi’s press briefing there is at least some suggestion that Masemola, too, could be targeted by the politically powerful.
Standing firm amid political backlash is rare.
Where to now?
Various political parties, civil society organisations and crime experts have called for action. The African National Congress (ANC) has released a statement, noting the claims and urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene. The ANCYL, however, went on the attack – accusing Mkhwanazi of political grandstanding.
Ramaphosa has urged restraint and noted that the police must stay focused. He is right: this goes beyond politics; it is about national security. But restraint should not become delay.
There are many who are already urging the President to place both Mchunu and Sibiya on precautionary suspension; not as a declaration of guilt, but to ensure a credible, interference-free investigation. That, they say, will help set the tone that no one is above scrutiny.
Such action by the President will signal seriousness. The alternative, allowing accused figures to remain in office, will inevitably undermine the process and public trust.
Critics say the president often takes too long to act, pointing to sluggish responses in the cases of former Justice Minister Thembi Simelane and Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane. Though Ramaphosa did fire Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Deputy Minister Andrew Withfield for an unauthorised international trip, many feel his approach lacks urgency when it matters most. This, of course, triggered a revolt within the Government of National Unity (GNU), with the DA breaking ranks on the Budget Votes of the accused Ministers: Simelane and Nkabane, as well as withdrawing from the National Dialogue.
Others have called for formal political probes, that the IPID and Parliament’s Police Portfolio Committee should launch transparent investigations, perhaps even involving judicial oversight. Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Ian Cameron, has said he considers the allegations made by Mkhwanazi in a very serious light, and that Parliament should get to the bottom of the issue.
Whistleblowers must be protected: Officers like Mkhwanazi must be insulated from threats – real or veiled – for exposing corruption. Concerns about Mkhwanazi’s safety are growing after his explosive press briefing. Both the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have raised the alarm, alleging he is being targeted.
The MKP has urged Mkhwanazi to press criminal charges against Minister Cele and Sibiya – reports suggest he has, though this remains unconfirmed – and called for the immediate arrest of Minister Mchunu. The EFF has demanded an in-person sitting of the Portfolio Committee to hear directly from the Minister on the damning allegations.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly calling for an urgent debate on the issue. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) echoed MKP’s call for action against Mchunu, while calling on the President to immediately appoint an Independent Commission of Inquiry, chaired by a retired judge, to investigate the allegations against the Minister.
This is not just about one officer. It’s about whether those who speak the truth can do so without fear. Parliament, law enforcement, and civil society must act now!
Perhaps not just Déjà Vu but a Stress Test for Ramaphosa and our Democracy
The moment we are in feels like déjà vu, but not in some cosmic sense. It is political theatre with real-world stakes: compromising public safety and undermining the rule of law. The true test now is not Mkhwanazi’s courage; it is whether institutional checks will stand with him.
A society that lets its criminal justice system to be dictated to by political influence has surrendered its moral high ground. The coming weeks must see either emboldened action or chilling inaction.
