The PSA calls for urgent action to reinforce IPID’s independence, highlighting concerns over governance failures and potential external influence, warning that public trust in police accountability is at risk.
Image: Independent Newspaper
The Public Servants Association (PSA) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint a “credible retired judge” to oversee the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (IPID) investigation into KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
IOL reported that the IPID had launched an investigation into KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Mkhwanazi. The investigation stems from allegations that Mkhwanazi interfered with the arrest of a senior Correctional Services official in Richards Bay in 2023.
The union warns that inconsistencies in IPID’s handling of the case raised concerns about governance and the risk of undue influence, emphasising the need for “absolute transparency and credibility in law enforcement oversight.
The PSA highlights a shift in IPID’s position, with the agency now claiming the complaint against Mkhwanazi came from an anonymous source despite an earlier letter, dated March 12, 2025, from the IPID’s acting national head of investigations explicitly linking it to the Minister of Police.
The PSA states that such contradictions “raise concerns about governance and the risk of undue influence,” reinforcing the need for an independent investigation.
The union has long criticised IPID’s leadership and governance, citing administrative failures such as the agency’s failure to implement a 2004 directive from the Department of Public Service and Administration regarding the upgrading of Personal Assistants, as well as the lack of implementation of benefits for investigators under the IPID Act of 2011.
Additionally, the PSA has questioned the extent of the Executive Director’s control over investigations. Section 24(1) of the IPID Act grants oversight authority, and the union warns that if IPID is perceived as lacking independence, “it undermines public confidence” in police accountability.
Given these concerns, the PSA insists that an independent inquiry, free from “political or institutional interference,” is necessary to ensure that “the outcome is not compromised by internal governance issues or external influence.”
The PSA stresses that the credibility of South Africa’s police oversight institutions is at stake.
“If the IPID is unable to execute its mandate effectively, it risks eroding public trust in police accountability mechanisms,” said the PSA.
The union calls on the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, and Ramaphosa to take urgent action to reinforce IPID’s independence and effectiveness.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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