In a stunning political development, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu amid damning allegations of collusion with criminal gangs. The move follows public accusations made by a top provincial police official, shaking public confidence in the country’s law enforcement leadership.
The controversy erupted a week earlier when Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, publicly alleged that Mchunu and Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya had deliberately undermined a task force investigating a series of politically motivated assassinations. According to Mkhwanazi, the unit had uncovered links between the killings and organized crime groups connections that implicated senior figures in the police, government, judiciary, and private sector.
Mkhwanazi claimed that soon after these findings surfaced, the investigative team was abruptly disbanded, case files were seized, and efforts to pursue leads were blocked by senior officials. The allegations suggested not only obstruction of justice but also an alarming level of criminal infiltration within state institutions.
In a televised address on July 13, President Ramaphosa announced the creation of a judicial commission of inquiry to examine the claims. He emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that the inquiry would investigate whether any senior officials had enabled or benefited from criminal activity, failed to act on credible intelligence, or attempted to suppress investigations. Ramaphosa appointed legal scholar Firoz Cachalia as acting Minister of Police pending the outcome of the inquiry.
The decision has sparked a wave of reactions across the political spectrum. Opposition parties have criticized Ramaphosa for what they describe as a “soft” response, arguing that Mchunu should have been immediately dismissed rather than placed on leave. Civil society groups, meanwhile, have welcomed the inquiry but warned that public trust in law enforcement is dangerously fragile.
As the inquiry begins its work, South Africans are left confronting the possibility that organized crime has not only found allies within the state, but may have helped shape its actions from within. For a country already burdened by high crime rates and deep political divisions, the outcome of this investigation could redefine the future of policing and accountability in the nation.
Joseph Kabuye , Correspondent , Kampala
