The 10 key figures at the centre of the explosive Mchunu vs Mkhwanazi SAPS saga

Its been a busy week in the world of crime and politics since Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi dropped that bombshell last week Sunday during a press conference at the SAPS KZN Headquarters in Durban.

IOL looked at the 10 men and women that are key in this saga.

They come from different spheres of life, from the glitz and the glamourous, to party political circles of the ANC, to the combative side of policing and to the alleged dark and flimsy underworld crime networks of Gauteng.

Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the provincial commissioner of KZN 

Mkhwanazi is an experienced police officer who has served as the acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, addressing national security challenges and implementing law enforcement reform. 

The former Special Task Force combatant is known for his strong leadership which has been characterized by strong action against organised crime and corruption. 

This past Sunday, Mkhwanazi made jaw-dropping allegations saying that his team had uncovered a syndicate operating within the police’s higher structures, placing significant scrutiny on his political boss, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and a senior police officer, Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya - whom he described as a criminal.

Flanked by police officers from the elite Special Task Force and TRT units, Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola confirmed security around him had been heightened amid threats to his life. 

Mkhwanazi has boldly declared he is ‘combat ready’ to take on the criminal elements outside and within the SAPS, while also declaring he was willing to lay down his life to destroy the crime syndicates.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu 

It was Police Minister Senzo Mchunu who took a decision to disband the political killings task team unit in December 2024, directly pitting him against Lt Gen Mkhwanazi, who is accusing the minister of shutting down the unit for his own politically expedient reasons. 

Mkhwanazi has accused him of having ties to the criminal underworld, with the likes of attempted murder accused tenderpreneur businessman Vusumuzi Cat Matlala allegedly bank rolling Mchunu’s political ambitions and those of associates close to him. 

Mchunu has denied any links to organised crime accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.

But another blunder Mchunu appears to have made, is surrounding the matter of his “just a comrade” associate, Brown Mogotsi, the man he somehow did not know in March 2025 when asked about him in Parliament, but whomst he admits to knowing as a Comrade. Mogotsi is alleged to be the middle man fixer between Mchunu and Matlala. More on Mogotsi later. 

Mchunu, who was considered as one of the front runners for the ANC Presidency, now finds himself in a State of Limbo, fighting for his political survival as calls increase for his axing as police minister. He is due to appear before the ANC’s Integrity Commission to explain himself, but many South Africans, expect him to be fired.

General Fannie Masemola, national police commissioner 

National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola was on leave in December 2024 when Mchunu attempted to disband the political killings task team unit. Masemola says and still insists that he did not sign the document ordering the disbanding of the unit. 

Recently, reports suggested Masemola was set to be arrested, shortly after high profile arrests concerning other senior police officers.

Masemola has told South Africans he is not interested in a tit-for-tat playing out publicly, and that he is looking forward to engaging with President Cyril Ramaphosa on the extent and the validity of those claims made by Lt Gen Mkhwanazi. 

In the meantime, the number 1 top cop in the country says crimefighting efforts are continuing and that he will soon make several announcements, including who the country’s acting Crime Intelligence boss is.

Brown Mogotsi

North West businessman Brown Mogotsi  was linked to alleged political interference in police operations, sparking concern about political accountability and transparency.

It is Mogotsi who is accused of pushing for Mchunu to intervene and cull the political killings task team, which was hot on the heels on the likes of Matlala. Text messages between Matlala and Mogotsi is “just a comrade” from whom he has never “requested or received” anything.

One of Mkhwanazi’s key allegations was that at the end of last year, Mchunu issued a directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team, set up in 2018, to shield politically connected members of a criminal syndicate from prosecution.

Former police minister Bheki Cele 

Cele is expected to appear before the party’s integrity commission after he admitted to staying at a luxury penthouse suite in Pretoria, which was organized by Cat Matlala.

Cele confirmed knowing Matlala, but denies they are friends. 

According to the report, the visit was not logged through official SAPS or government channels, and there is no record of state funds being used.

Only a week after Cele stepped down as Police Minister, SAPS confirmed that Matlala’s company had been granted a R360 million contract. The deal had been under evaluation during Cele’s time in office, sparking concerns about conflicts of interest and potential behind-the-scenes influence.

Although he no longer holds the police minister position, Cele remains influential within ANC circles and among senior law enforcement figures.

Vusumuzi Cat Matlala

Matlala rose to prominence through a series of lucrative contracts with the South African government. In 2024, his company, Medicare24 Tshwane District, secured a R360 million contract to provide health services to South African Police Service (SAPS) employees. 

Years prior, companies linked to him also scored contracts at the Tembisa Provincial Hospital. 

According to internal documents, the deal generated over R48 million in profits before being cancelled by National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola. It was found the company should have never been considered for the deal, let alone being awarded the seismic contract. 

Matlala, who is facing attempted murder charges, has been linked to multiple corruption investigations and is now at the centre of a growing scandal shaking South Africa’s law enforcement institutions.

He was arrested in May on attempted murder charges linked to an assissanation attempt on the life of his former lover, Teboho Thobejane. 

Police raids conducted on his property uncovered unlicensed firearms, a R200,000 Rolex watch, and documents linking Matlala to a private security company, CAT VIP Protection, which authorities believe served as a front for broader criminal activities.

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has made serious claims against Matlala. Mkhwanazi accused Matlala of being "at the centre of a sophisticated criminal syndicate operating at the highest levels of the state."

He accused Matlala of using his fortune to manipulate the political and justice systems for personal protection.

It was his cellphone and the cellphone downloads thereto, that uncovered the alleged web of corruption between Mogotsi, Mchunu and Sibiya.

Tebogo Thobejane 

Actress Tebogo Thobejane has requested "privacy and understanding" following the arrest of businessman Vusimuzi Matlala in May 2025. She has not said much publicly since. 

Matlala appeared in the Alexandra Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, following his arrest on May 14, 2025. The charges relate to an alleged plot to harm television actress and influencer Thobejane. Evidence presented by investigators includes WhatsApp messages in which Matlala allegedly ordered the hitman to “shoot her in the face so that her family does not recognise her.”

In a statement, Thobejane shared how she continues to heal from the deeply traumatic experience that happened last year, disclosing that she is living with ongoing Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tsakani Matlala

Tsakani Matlala, the wife of Cat Matlala, was also arrested in connection with the attempted murder plot on Thobejane's life. She was released on R20,000 bail. 

Lt Gen Dumisani Khumalo

National head of crime intelligence, Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, could face suspension if Forensics for Justice succeeds in court. What led to his arrest is 

Khumalo and the other six top cops all appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday. During the group’s court appearance last week, it emerged that they all denied the accusations against them and intended to plead not guilty.

The court heard that investigations in the matter had been finalised, however, other investigations involving some of those in the dock continued.

This suggests more arrests or criminal charges are possible.

The case is expected to resume on 13 August.

It is yet to be seen whether Khumalo and his colleagues will simply argue that they have been incorrectly charged or whether they will claim there is a larger conspiracy against them. Khumalo was also the head of the political killings task team unit, which Mchunu attempted to disband. It remains unclear if the unit was successfully disbanded or not, with the National Commissioner saying he never authorised its closure, while Mkhwanazi seemed to suggest its work was ongoing. 

Mary de Haas, Violence Monitor - KwaZulu-Natal

The violence monitor wrote to the Police Minister calling for the closure of the political killings task team unit, alleging it was misusing funds. She also proposed the creation of a judicial oversight body to review cases handled by the task team, including allegations of misconduct.

De Haas has strong feelings about the claim that the Political Killings Task Team was disbanded in December 2024 because it was getting close to the truth about politicians and others apparently linked to a criminal syndicate in Gauteng. 

This team had to be disbanded she says, because in reality it was taking cases far beyond its mandate and framing innocent people to cover for politicians.

While many seem to be backing Mkhwanazi, De Haas is one of those who feels the task team over stepped its mark. 

Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya, the deputy national commissioner and crime detection head

Sibiya has been accused of assisting the minister in meddling with police operations. It is alleged that Sibiya is holding onto important case dockets which were under investigation by the political killings task team unit. Mkhwanazi said the dockets had been archived at Sibiya’s head office cabinet, declaring, “God knows why”.

Sibiya has accused Mkhwanazi of acting like a warlord, but he has contradicted himself in television interviews, once claiming he was acting under the instruction of Police COmmissioner Masemola to disband the unit. Masemola says he gave no such instruction. Mkhwanazi, has also branded him a criminal - saying there could be no peace between a police officer and a criminal. This came after Mchunu organised a meeting to try and diffuse tensions between the two. 

It appears, the tensions have only heightened.