Online Reporter
JOHANNESBURG. – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last night announced that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu had been placed on leave of absence as a judicial commission of inquiry is established to investigate claims by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
“South Africans are concerned about corruption and the rise of criminality in our country,” President Ramaphosa said in his address to the nation.
Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of disbanding the political killings task team in March, effectively withdrawing 121 active dockets, many linked to politically motivated killings.
He presented WhatsApp messages, South African Police Service (SAPS) documents, and cellphone records, alleging a coordinated effort to dismantle the unit.
He also implicated Brown Mogotsi, a “comrade” of Mchunu, in communicating with suspects, including businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who secured a R360 million SAPS contract in 2024.
The contract has since been cancelled.
Following the explosive allegations, there’s been increasing pressure on President Ramaphosa to act.
The commission of inquiry will be chaired by acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
Firoz Cachalia, a former ANC politician and current professor of law at the University of the Witwatersrand, will serve as acting Police Minister in the interim.
He is a non-member of parliament, and will take up one of the two positions that the president is allowed to appoint to cabinet from outside parliament.
– IOLNews
