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KZN Commissioner Accuses Police Minister Mchunu of Interfering in Murder Probes

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Published Jul 6, 2025, 04:07 PM

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi used a rare public briefing in Durban on Sunday to allege political interference at the highest levels of South Africa’s law-enforcement hierarchy. He said he had opened a criminal case against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, accusing him of ordering the dissolution of the province’s Political Killings Task Team and obstructing murder investigations.

Mkhwanazi displayed WhatsApp messages that he claims link attempted-murder accused businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, ministerial associate Brown Mogotsi and Mchunu. According to the commissioner, Matlala held a R360 million contract with the police and helped fund political events, while Mogotsi shared classified documents and discussed the task team’s disbandment with the minister.

The commissioner said the task team had handled 612 political-murder dockets, securing 436 arrests and recovering 156 firearms, 55 of which were forensically tied to killings in several provinces. He contended that on 26 March about 121 case files were withdrawn from the unit on instructions relayed by Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, hampering probes into assassinations of politicians and prominent entertainers.

Mchunu issued a statement rejecting the allegations as “baseless” and said he would “apply his mind” before responding further. Sibiya likewise denied wrongdoing and accused Mkhwanazi of tarnishing the South African Police Service. The claims have prompted the Democratic Alliance and Police Portfolio Committee chair Ian Cameron to seek an urgent parliamentary debate and possible inquiry into corruption and political meddling within SAPS.

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Sowetan LIVE

@SowetanLIVE

Police minister Senzo Mchunu has dismissed as "baseless" allegations levelled against him by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial commissioner Lit-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, insisting they lacked evidence. @Nandile_Ntini

SABC News

@SABCNews

DEVELOPING | Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, in a statement released earlier today, says he rejects baseless allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.