LIVE | Mkhwanazi’s evidence threatens to sink suspended Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testifying at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria.
Image: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers
As public scrutiny intensifies, Day 2 of the Madlanga Commission resumes on Thursday with KZN Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi returning to the stand — this time armed with documents that could directly implicate suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
The focus will shift from testimony to tangible proof: internal memos, call logs, WhatsApp threads, and operational directives.
These are expected to illuminate how and by whose authority the elite Political Killings Task Team was abruptly disbanded in December 2024, despite being on the verge of major arrests in politically sensitive cases.
Central to the day's proceedings will be the role of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who Mkhwanazi accuses of unlawfully ordering the task team’s disbandment and interfering in high-level investigations involving senior officials, police officers, and politically connected businesspeople.
Commission Chair Justice Madlanga is expected to examine whether Mchunu’s directives violated the SAPS Act, particularly around the constitutional requirement for policing independence.
Key to this will be whether National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola was consulted or deliberately bypassed in decisions that sidelined about 121 active dockets and removed them to Pretoria.
Also likely to come under scrutiny is the role of Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, in whose office the dockets were reportedly "buried" without follow-up — an act Mkhwanazi described as a “political sabotage of law enforcement.”
The commission is also expected to unpack the shadowy chain of communication that allegedly linked Mchunu to Vuzimusi "Cat" Matlala and Brown Mogotsi, two political associates who, according to Mkhwanazi, relayed instructions that altered SAPS deployments and internal appointments.
As the inquiry turns to documentation, Thursday could prove pivotal in establishing not only who gave the orders.
Meanwhile, testifying at the Bridgett Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria, Mkhwanazi positioned Mchunu at the centre of what he described as a deliberate effort to derail investigations into politically linked killings and corruption.
His testimony set a high bar for the inquiry, centring on policy, policing, and the integrity of law enforcement.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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