KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told Parliament suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu was “captured” and influenced to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
This while senior police officials are protecting criminals and form part of a broader network linking SAPS leadership, politicians and organised crime, Mkhwanazi alleged.
He said the minister’s actions led him to believe that “the minister is protecting people”, and maintained that relationships between certain police officials and criminal figures amount to “a criminal relationship”, framing this as part of a wider system influencing policing decisions.
Responding to EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys, Mkhwanazi indicated although Mchunu maintained the decision was his own, his assessment of events suggested otherwise, stating that “when assessing all these activities… it points to that”, concluding that “Minister Mchunu was captured to write that letter”.
He further alleged data had been deleted from the minister’s official device and later recovered, which, in his view, raised further questions about how the decision was taken.
ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli pressed Mkhwanazi on the timing and reliability of his information, asking whether the full extent of the allegations was known at the time. Mkhwanazi indicated while some details emerged later, there were early warning signs, including resistance to lifestyle audits, questionable conduct by senior officers and tensions around the PKTT.
He suggested the disbandment exposed deeper, pre-existing issues within SAPS leadership.
Under questioning from MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo, Mkhwanazi sharpened his position, stating the minister’s conduct led him to conclude “the minister is protecting people”, adding that this pointed to a chain of protection involving senior officials.
He said this left him with the conclusion that Mchunu “was assisting the Sibiyas, who, in turn, were assisting the cartel squad”, and added that had the minister been transparent, “he could have been forgiven”.
ActionSA MP Dereleen James asked directly about the relationship between senior police officials and businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, to which Mkhwanazi replied that it was “that of a police officer protecting a criminal”, reiterating: “It is a criminal relationship.”
He added that Matlala “is a small fish in a big pond”, indicating that the networks extend beyond the individuals currently in focus. In response to further questions, Mkhwanazi outlined links between individuals, stating that businessman Ze Nxumalo connects “to many people” and communicates with politicians, while Suleiman Carrim is linked to Matlala and political structures. He indicated these names form part of a broader network mapped through investigative work.
James also raised allegations relating to tenders, kidnappings and drug-linked figures. Mkhwanazi indicated that several of the individuals mentioned appear in investigative diagrams compiled by his team and are linked to drug manufacturing, cartel debts and kidnapping cases, with overlap into cash-in-transit heists and organised crime.
DA MP Ian Cameron asked whether Mchunu should remain in office, with Mkhwanazi responding that while the decision rests with the president, “he is no longer fit to be minister of police”.
Cameron also questioned him on the use of a blue-light escort by NCC leader Fadiel Adams. Mkhwanazi stated while MPs may request assistance for official duties, Adams had “presented himself as an MP” while attending to private matters and had therefore used state resources improperly.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach questioned why Mkhwanazi had not escalated his concerns internally before going public. Mkhwanazi indicated he had attempted to engage both the minister and parliamentary structures but was not given the opportunity, stating: “So what else do I do? Let me then tell South Africans.” He said the briefing was intended to signal that “the security cluster was being taken over”.
Breytenbach also probed the evidentiary basis of his claims, particularly regarding links between police, prosecutors and the judiciary. Mkhwanazi acknowledged some evidence had been gathered through intelligence methods and may not be admissible in court, but maintained recordings and materials exist within dockets under investigation.
DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard asked whether Mkhwanazi was confident in the case against suspended deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, to which he responded that he was, adding that in his view Mchunu may be “guilty of defeating the ends of justice”. He also alleged procurement-related corruption, stating that a senior officer received a BMW X5 linked to the police’s VIP fleet.
Mkhwanazi repeatedly returned to Sibiya, stating that based on information and investigations, he believed Sibiya was involved in wrongdoing and that “there can never be peace between me and Sibiya”, indicating deep institutional conflict and alleged interference in investigations.
ANC MP Khusela Diko questioned whether Mchunu may have been misled rather than complicit, and whether the president could have been influenced. Mkhwanazi responded that while the president acts within formal processes, ministerial influence is significant, stating that the likelihood of an acting appointment being made without ministerial input is “almost zero”. Diko cautioned that this amounted to conjecture.
Diko also challenged Mkhwanazi on claims involving businessman Brown Mogotsi. Mkhwanazi dismissed this, stating “the CIA thing is a narrative people will use… to suppress your views”, and described Mogotsi as “an information peddler”.
EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys raised discrepancies between testimony and documentary evidence, including the president’s written response indicating he did not support the disbandment of the PKTT. Mkhwanazi indicated this aligned with his view that the decision was irregular and externally influenced.
MK Party MP David Skosana questioned whether additional judicial oversight was required. Mkhwanazi responded that “there ought to be some controls that a judge cannot independently decide”, adding that judicial decisions can “make or break justice”.
He further stated that “these presiding officers, we cannot say they are making honest errors”, suggesting possible collusion and pointing to recordings contained in case dockets under investigation.
In response to questions about personal risk, Mkhwanazi stated that he was not concerned about threats, saying: “Death will catch us all… I took a conscious decision that I will stand for the truth”, while noting that his public profile has limited his movements with his family.
FF Plus MP Wouter Wessels questioned the reliability of the evidence before the committee, noting that there had “not been an abundance of truth”. Mkhwanazi acknowledged that some material is intelligence-based and not yet tested in court, but argued that consistent patterns across cases indicate systemic corruption.
Wessels also raised concerns about oversight bodies. Mkhwanazi criticised the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), stating that “they decide they don’t like you… they investigate you”, and alleging that provisions allowing the initiation of cases are being misused.
IFP MP Albert Mncwango questioned the role of Crime Intelligence and its secret fund. Mkhwanazi indicated that while abuses exist, the fund should not be characterised as a “slush fund” and serves a legitimate operational role. However, he maintained that Crime Intelligence remains central to the problem, stating that certain individuals within the division have close relationships with politicians and exert influence over decision-making.
He further alleged that some MPs may be financially linked to Crime Intelligence structures but declined to name them, stating that doing so would create “a problem”.
Beyond individual allegations, Mkhwanazi outlined structural weaknesses enabling organised crime, including procurement vulnerabilities, reliance on cash and weak border controls. He argued that “the lesser we use cash, the better” and warned that without stronger border management, drug trafficking will continue.
He described SAPS as divided into “three types” of officers: those committed to their work, those who are corrupt, and a “missing middle” who fail to act against wrongdoing, enabling corruption to persist.
Throughout, Mkhwanazi defended his decision to go public, stating that internal avenues had failed and that both executive and parliamentary processes had not addressed the issues. He reiterated: “So what else do I do? Let me then tell South Africans.”
He cautioned MPs against treating any testimony as definitive, including his own, stating: “Don’t say Mkhwanazi is 100%. I agree I have holes… but be careful of the witnesses you trust”, while maintaining that the patterns he described point to systemic failures requiring further investigation.
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