KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday that his dramatic July revelations were made because he and his colleagues feared South Africa’s criminal justice system was on the brink of collapse.
Appearing as the first witness before the commission, Mkhwanazi said that the 6 July press conference, which ultimately triggered the establishment of the inquiry, was not an individual act but a “collective effort” that included his peers, who were alarmed at the state of the system.
At that briefing, the commissioner claimed that powerful criminal syndicates had penetrated the country’s policing and intelligence structures. He alleged that a major drug cartel, enjoying political protection and links to prosecutors, judges, and politicians, was operating with virtual impunity.
He further accused then-police minister Senzo Mchunu of political meddling, saying the minister had colluded with criminal networks to disband KwaZulu-Natal’s political killings task team. The unit, formed in 2018, had been instrumental in probing political assassinations in KZN and recently in Gauteng, and its dismantling, Mkhwanazi warned, crippled investigations into such murders.
The allegations created a political storm, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce the judicial commission just a week later and to place Mchunu on special leave to allow it to proceed without interference.
Mkhwanazi repeated his concerns on Wednesday, saying: “The criminal justice system has been subject to continuous threat as well as sabotage, which has been with us over an extended period, to a point where we believe it is at a real risk of a total collapse if nothing is done. Therefore, urgent and effective interventions are required in order to avert this outcome.”
He added that he hoped the commission would play “a very important role” in safeguarding the integrity of the justice system.
Mkhwanazi’s testimony continues.
