KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has publicly accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of interfering in critical police investigations. Image: SAPS
(The Post News)- KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has made serious allegations of political interference in police operations, specifically directed at Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya. Speaking at a press briefing in Durban on Sunday, 6 July, Mkhwanazi claimed that key investigations into political assassinations were being obstructed by senior figures within government and the police.
Mkhwanazi stated that he intends to lay criminal charges against Minister Mchunu, accusing him of unlawfully interfering in operational policing matters. He claimed that 121 case dockets, including five containing instructions for arrest, were removed in March from a specialized task team investigating political killings.
These files were allegedly taken without approval and are now shelved at the police headquarters in Pretoria. The commissioner attributed the removal of these dockets to orders issued by Lt Gen Sibiya, who he believes acted under the direction of Minister Mchunu.
He further alleged that cellphone data analysis had revealed potential links between an individual close to the minister and known figures in organized crime. Mkhwanazi accused external actors of attempting to dismantle key investigative units and undermine the authority of National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, whom he strongly defended as the legitimate leader of the South African Police Service.
During the briefing, Mkhwanazi appeared in his Special Task Force combat uniform, flanked by armed STF and TRT officers, and presented himself as a police officer ready for battle. He declared, “There can never be peace between a criminal and a policeman,” referring to Sibiya as a criminal. He added, “We are in combat mode, and I am confronting criminals directly. I am a police officer who understood the task when I joined the service. I chose the combat side of policing. I understand that right now, the war we face involves high-level senior officers.”
He also expressed support for senior officers recently arrested in a separate Crime Intelligence corruption investigation, stating his belief in their integrity and warning that these actions formed part of a broader campaign to destabilize the police service.
In response, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya told SABC News that he was surprised by the allegations, stating that when he last spoke with Mkhwanazi on Friday, there was no indication of conflict.
He said, “This matter has just come to my attention now, and I have not been made aware of all the details. I will respond once I have had an opportunity to assess the issues.” Sibiya emphasized that, unlike Mkhwanazi, he would not make public statements without evidence and stated that he would consult with his legal team before issuing an official response.
He denied the allegations and added that if Mkhwanazi has evidence of any crime, he is free to make arrests. When asked about a possible plot to remove Mkhwanazi, Sibiya responded, “Mkhwanazi is a man at war with himself. He is fighting, but we don’t know who he is fighting with.”
African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Collen Malatji also reacted to the unfolding situation. Speaking to Newsroom Afrika, Malatji dismissed what he called political grandstanding by Mkhwanazi, stating, “The days of statements and populism have ended.
If he has evidence, he must arrest them. We don’t want statements or press briefings we want people to be arrested.” He went on to say that the country does not need commissioners who act like politicians, but ones who take decisive action. “We don’t want commissioners that are becoming politicians; we want commissioners that act,” Malatji said. He added that Mkhwanazi’s role as a police commissioner is to arrest criminals, not to make media pronouncements.
Minister Senzo Mchunu has not made a public statement about the allegations at the time of publication.
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