The chairperson of Parliament’s police committee, Ian Cameron, on Tuesday 8 July renewed calls for independent lifestyle and skills audits across the senior ranks of the South African Police Service (SAPS), following explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Meanwhile, later that evening, the National Commissioner Thobakgale retrieved prohibited items at Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility, as stated on the Department of Correctional Services’ Facebook page:
Thobakgale later confirmed that, during the search, Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, who is alleged to be linked to Minister Senzo Mchunu, was found with a cellphone at the Kgoši Mampuru Correctional Centre. [Newzroom Afrika]
‘Official whistleblower status’
Mkhwanazi, who Cameron said had effectively become a whistleblower, alleged on Sunday that senior SAPS officials and police minister Senzo Mchunu were protecting politically connected individuals linked to a Gauteng-based criminal syndicate, which was why the political killings task team had been disbanded.
Mchunu has denied the allegations. Cameron has since, shared this post on X:
The Minister admits knowing and meeting Mr Mogotsi, calling him “just a comrade”, yet denies any association?
— Ian Cameron (@IanCameron23) July 9, 2025
‘📝FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9 July 2025
STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ALLEGATIONS REGARDING THE MINISTER’S ALLEGED ASSOCIATION WITH MR MATLALA AND MR MOGOTSI
In response to… pic.twitter.com/TPqyNXNoGH
The task team had become aware of the high-profile links to the syndicate during the course of another investigation, according to Mkhwanazi.
“In this case, the way it was done would certainly fit into whistleblower status,” Cameron said of Mkhwanazi’s revelations.
He also said there was “an integrity management crisis” in the SAPS.
In the dramatic media briefing on Sunday, Mkhwanazi appeared in full Special Task Force uniform and flanked by armed officers. He claimed the disbandment of the task team, which had probed high-profile assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal since 2018, was part of a broader attempt to derail investigations implicating politicians and SAPS insiders.
One of the central figures allegedly protected is Vusumuzi “Cat” Matlala, a businessman and alleged underworld kingpin arrested for a failed assassination attempt on Matlala’s former lover, actress Tebogo Thobejane. Matlala had previously been flagged for corrupt police health tenders by slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran.
Arrest of high-ranking officials
Mkhwanazi also questioned the recent arrest of seven high-ranking officers from SAPS’s Crime Intelligence Division, suggesting the move was potentially retaliatory and politically motivated. He suggested their prosecution stemmed from internal power struggles – not necessarily from the merits of the charges themselves.
Those arrested include Divisional Commissioner Lt Gen Dumisani Khumalo and CFO Maj Gen Philani Lushaba, among others. They face charges relating to the alleged improper appointment of a civilian, Brigadier Dineo Mokwele, to a senior position. All except Lushaba were granted bail. The case was postponed to August 13 for disclosure.
Khumalo and Lushaba have also come under scrutiny for their handling of the Crime Intelligence Secret Services Account, a covert fund used for informants and undercover operations. It is from this fund that buildings were allegedly purchased at inflated prices and without proper oversight. National Commissioner Fannie Masemola has also come under scrutiny for his role in the matter.
In 2023, Masemola and other SAPS officials allegedly received undeclared luxury gifts in Germany from a bidder in a bulletproof vest tender. In 2022, Lushaba’s burglary report — involving the theft of state equipment — was allegedly tied to a prostitute and a cover-up by other senior officers.
Forensics for Justice founder Paul O’Sullivan has alleged that Mokwele’s father, a senior police officer, was arrested last year for attempting to purchase dockets related to a political killing in KwaZulu-Natal.
Personal and professional risk
Cameron acknowledged the personal and professional risk Mkhwanazi took in going public, and asked if he had reported the alleged capture of SAPS to his seniors, if the matter would have led to any action.
He said the SAPS had entered a state of “total disarray” amid internal battles for key leadership positions, including a looming vacancy at the head of the Hawks and the imminent retirement of Masemola.
Cameron called for a fully independent body to audit the entire police leadership from brigadier level upwards: “We need to ensure that those in office are not only beyond reproach but also possess the skills to do the job.”
