On special leave Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has hit back at KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, demanding that he produce concrete evidence to support explosive allegations of political interference and collusion with criminal syndicates.
In an interview with SABC News on Friday evening, Mchunu who is currently on special leave insisted that Mkhwanazi has provided “no evidence whatsoever” before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry or Parliament’s ad hoc committee. “The allegations against me are untrue and unfounded,” Mchunu said, accusing the provincial police chief of acting as a complainant without backing up his claims.
The public clash stems from Mkhwanazi’s dramatic media briefing in July 2025, when he alleged high-level corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system, including political meddling in police operations and links between senior figures and organised crime cartels. His testimony prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish the Madlanga Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, to probe claims of criminality, political interference and corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary.
Mkhwanazi specifically criticised Mchunu’s decision to disband the Provincial Priority Crime Task Team (also known as the Political Killings Task Team) in KwaZulu-Natal, suggesting it hampered efforts against syndicate activity. Mchunu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that his actions were administrative and that he has no ties to criminal elements.
The commission’s hearings have laid bare deep divisions within the South African Police Service leadership and continue to dominate national headlines. Mchunu’s latest intervention comes as the inquiry presses ahead, with an interim report already submitted to the presidency earlier this year.
The Madlanga Commission is expected to deliver further findings as it resumes after the Easter recess.
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