He is a whistleblower, police committee chair says of Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has effectively become a whistleblower after his allegations of political interference in police work and links to organised crime, the head of parliament's police committee said on Tuesday.
'In this case, the way it was done, would certainly fit into whistleblower status,'
Mkhwanazi
Mchunu and Sibiya have both denied the allegations.
The most well-known of those connected individuals is alleged crime syndicate kingpin Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala, who is in prison and facing charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering, for a failed hit in 2023 on actress Tebogo Thobejane, allegedly his former lover.
But Matlala — the alleged funder of Mchunu's political ambitions — has also been linked to dirty tenders through several of his companies. He was flagged by assassinated whistleblower
The lieutenant-general's claims have sparked furious debate among policing pundits, some of whom questioned the manner in which he made the allegations. He did this at a press briefing, dressed in his Special Task Force uniform and surrounded by armed members of the same elite unit that he was once the head of.
Other policing experts have said that if Mkhwanazi had exhausted all internal channels with zero results, there was no other platform he could have used.
'I have got a lot of mixed feelings about it,' said Cameron during an interview with
eNCA
. 'I feel like I have got this constant debate in my mind, because I feel that due process and the rule of law are critical, but I also have to ask, if he just reported [the allegations] to his seniors, or to anyone else for that matter, would it have received the attention it deserves?'
He also appeared to be defending seven — or at least some — of the high-ranking officers who were arrested for fraud and corruption in June and July in the police service's Crime Intelligence division.
Among those arrested were divisional commissioner Lieutenant General
The other arrested high ranking officers areMajor General Josias Lekalakala (Gauteng Crime Intelligence head),Major General Nosipho Madondo (head of the analysis centre), Major General Zwelithini Gabela (technology services), Brigadier Dineo Mokwele (technical systems) and Brigadier Phindile Ncube (head of vetting).
All of the accused have said they intend to plead not guilty to the charges.
The arrests relate to the officers allegedly conspiring to appoint 30-year-old civilian Mokwele to a senior post. Khumalo, Madondo, Lekalakala, Gabela, Ncube and Mokwele were granted R10 000 bail, while Lushaba was remanded in custody because of a pending case.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the matter has been postponed to 13 August for disclosure.
Mkhwanazi appeared to question why the officers were arrested for what he claimed was a human resources matter, and why the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption was so eager to prosecute what was essentially an internal police matter.
Several of those arrested are custodians of the Crime Intelligence Secret Services Account — a classified budget intended for covert operations and informant payments, best described as a loosely regulated slush fund.
From that fund, buildings were purchased in Johannesburg and Durban, allegedly at inflated prices and without oversight, for 'covert operations'. The purchases — which would have been authorised by Lushaba and Khumalo — have since been made public. Masemola has come under scrutiny for his role in the matter, and the alleged cover-up of the purchases.
Mkhwanazi implied that some of those who were arrested were being defamed in public because of the building purchases and couldn't speak out because of national security. Those who had colluded to arrest them also knew the officers would not speak out, because they could then face charges for breaching national security protocols, he said.
But other allegations of impropriety have also been levelled against some of the officers, and Masemola.
In 2023, Masemola — and other senior officers — were allegedly given cash and luxurious items, including Louis Vuitton bags, by a bidder for a bulletproof vest tender, while in Germany. The gifts were not declared.
In 2022, Lushaba reported a burglary in which his official firearm, laptop and cellphone were stolen, allegedly while he was not at home, but neglected to report that the 'burglar' was a prostitute.
This may be the pending case the NPA referred to, and why he was remanded in custody. It has also been alleged that other senior officers tried to cover up the role of the prostitute in the burglary, by searching for her to retrieve Lushaba's state items.
According to private investigator and Forensics for Justice founder Paul O'Sullivan, the father of Mokwele — whose appointment led to the arrests of the Crime Intelligence senior officers — was arrested last year after trying to buy dockets in KwaZulu-Natal that were related to a political killing. Mokwele's father is a senior police officer.
Cameron said Mkhwanazi was aware of the risks he had taken by speaking out, risks that could be physical or career related. He had admitted such during the Sunday briefing.
'In terms of what should be done, I think there is an integrity management crisis, broadly speaking, in the South African Police Service. I am really concerned about the total disarray that we have seen over the last few weeks,' Cameron said.
'We all knew that things were boiling up to a certain point. We know the national commissioner will soon retire — must soon retire. There are moves in terms of people wanting to become the new head of the Hawks, as well. And I think it's caused a lot of destabilising efforts, let's call it that for now, within the senior ranks of the South African Police.'
Cameron said it was critical that an independent body was appointed to conduct lifestyle audits on 'the entire top structure [of the police] from brigadier upwards'.
There also needed to be a relevant skills audit, he added, 'to make sure that whoever is there, apart from being beyond reproach, are actually skilled to do the job'.
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