South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged senior party officials and high-ranking police officers to exercise discipline and restraint, warning that public exchanges of accusations and counter-accusations risk eroding public trust and creating confusion.
The president’s appeal follows explosive claims by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi levelled serious allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya.
He alleged that the political killings task team had uncovered a criminal syndicate involving politicians, law enforcement officers, businesspeople, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary, all allegedly linked to a drug cartel, resulting in its disbandment.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, 6 July, Mkhwanazi claimed there was a concerted effort to dismantle the task team investigating politically motivated killings in the province. He said:
On the 31st December 2024, the minister of police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, issued a letter to disband the political killings task team and to suspend the filling of all vacancies within the crime intelligence [division].
In January, February, and April 2025, the deputy national commissioner: crime detection, Lt-Gen [Shadrack] Sibiya, issued written instructions withdrawing all the case dockets from the task team to his office.
Among the allegations, Mkhwanazi revealed that on May 14, the political killings task team arrested Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala on three counts of attempted murder. Matlala had been awarded a R360 million contract by the police in 2024. He said:
An analysis was conducted on [the] electronic communication of this syndicate. This analysis reveals communication between the arrested Matlala, Mr Brown Mogotsi, an associate of the minister of police, as well as the minister of police, Mr Senzo Mchunu.
Further analysis of the chats indicates that Matlala is financially supporting the minister of police and Mr Brown Mogotsi’s political endeavours.
This is supported by the evidence of conversations and the proof of payments of guests for the January 8 travelling costs and a gala dinner table in Cape Town.
However, Mchunu, a member of the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee, dismissed the allegations, saying they were made without evidence or adherence to due process.
Meanwhile, in a statement released on Sunday evening, the South African Presidency said President Ramaphosa had taken note of the remarks made earlier in the day by Mkhwanazi. He said:
This is a matter of grave national security concern that is receiving the highest priority attention. It is vital that the integrity of the country’s security services is safeguarded and that the rule of law is affirmed.
All parties to this matter are called upon to exercise discipline and restraint. The trading of accusations and counter-accusations threatens to undermine public confidence and sow confusion.
Furthermore, these actions damage the unity and focus of the police.
Ramaphosa said he will outline the actions to be taken on the matter upon his return from the BRICS Leaders’ Summit currently underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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