Pretoria: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s focus at the BRICS summit in Brazil was abruptly redirected back home following serious allegations by a high-ranking police officer against the nation’s police minister.
According to Deutsche Welle, Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and other senior officials of interfering in investigations into political assassinations, allegedly to protect individuals with political connections. Mkhwanazi, responsible for overseeing police operations in the KwaZulu-Natal province and a former acting national police commissioner, also claimed that other officials have been obstructing police efforts against organized crime.
Politicians across South Africa’s political landscape have urged President Ramaphosa to take decisive action. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in Ramaphosa’s governing coalition, has called for an urgent parliamentary debate on corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS). “Our country will never win against violent crime, and our streets will never be safe, until the SAPS has robust integrity management inside and out,” stated Ian Cameron of the DA, who also chairs Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police.
Pressure mounts as other political parties voice their demands. David Skosana of the uMkhonto weSizwe party has urged Mkhwanazi to file charges against Mchunu within 24 hours. Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters have demanded the immediate suspension of both Mchunu and Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection Lt. Gen. Shadrack Sibiya, who has also been implicated.
The Inkatha Freedom Party, still reeling from the shooting death of its deputy chief whip in Parliament, Khethamabala Sithole, in a suspected political killing in May, is calling for the president to appoint an independent commission of inquiry. “The collective integrity of the SAPS has been alleged to be wholly compromised, and the country has every reason to be worried,” the party declared.
South Africa is grappling with one of the highest crime rates globally. A report last year by the Switzerland-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime highlighted a 108% increase in targeted killings, particularly political killings at the local municipal level, over the past decade. In response to the crisis, SAPS formed a task team in 2018 dedicated to political killings, which has since investigated over 600 cases, leading to 436 arrests and the recovery of 156 firearms, at least 55 of which were linked to political crimes, as reported by the Daily Maverick.
However, the unit faced challenges when Mchunu requested its disbandment at the end of last year. When the team remained operational, its dockets containing information on political killings were seized, effectively halting investigations. Mkhwanazi has accused Mchunu of shutting down the task team due to its uncovering of links between drug cartels, politicians, police, and prosecutors, as reported by the Mail and Guardian newspaper. “All these statements made by him in public require an urgent, thorough and transparent investigation, on a proper platform,” Mchunu responded.