Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. (SAPS/X)
The Madlanga commission into allegations of police corruption said it had noted a request by parliament’s ad hoc committee to interview KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, but will be the first to have him appear before it next week.
President Cyril Ramaphosa set up the inquiry in response to allegations by Mkhwanazi that implicated Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who has been placed on special leave.
The delayed hearings by the commission chaired by retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga will start on 17 September now that a venue as well as IT and data security systems have now been secured, said its head of communications, Jeremy Michaels.
“The commission is aware that the parliamentary ad hoc committee would also want Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi to testify before it as soon as possible, and we are communicating with the ad hoc committee to ensure that this happens cooperatively,” he told a media briefing on Monday.
Michaels said the commission has secured cybersecurity measures, secure internet, live streaming and transcription with trained staff to commence public hearings.
“As we are seated here, the commission’s senior team, except for those present with us, are seized with preparations for the commencement of the commission’s hearings next Wednesday, the 17th of September,” he said.
“Whilst there is still some work continuing to ensure our offices are suitable, we have been assured this should be completed in the coming days, and it is pretty much ready. Whilst the delay in procuring these items was regrettable, we are now pleased to confirm the necessary systems are up and running.”
Michaels confirmed that the commission has consulted Mkhwanazi, “whom the commission intends to call as its first witness”.
The commission has also been in discussions with other witnesses whose names are being withheld for security reasons. Consultations with Mkhwanazi are expected to continue into next week before the first public hearing on 17 September.
Mkhwanazi has asked parliament to allow him to complete his discussions with Madlanga’s commission before he can appear before the ad hoc committee.
On Tuesday, Patriotic Alliance member of the committee Ashley Sauls said the two bodies were cooperating regarding Mkhwanazi appearing in parliament before 24 September.
“We are happy that [the Madlanga commission is] knowledgeable of the fact that the ad hoc needs to have Mkhwanazi appear, and they are willing to ensure cooperation in that regard.
“The chairperson [of the ad hoc committee] has written and we expect a response from General Mkhwanazi for for an earlier time than the 24th and by the sound of what the spokesperson has said, there is a commitment to ensure that that will happen,” Sauls said on news channel Newzroom Afrika.
The ad hoc committee elected the ANC’s Soviet Lekganyane as chairperson and Norman Arendse as evidence leader. Last week Arendse told the committee that it would have to wait until the Madlanga commission finalised its consultations with Mkwanazi.
“They are already a long way down the road in terms of consulting him and taking a sworn statement, which they are hoping to complete this week. So, in any event, we will only be able to consult with General Mkwanazi once they’ve finalised their consultations with him.”
In July Mkwanazi alleged that senior police leadership and politicians had been captured by criminal syndicates. He claimed that the syndicates had infiltrated the criminal justice system to undermine law enforcement and protect politicians and that Mchunu — who dismissed the claims as “wild” — had ordered the disbanding of a task team investigating political killings in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng because it was closing in on politicians linked to the syndicates.
Ramaphosa suspended Mchunu pending the outcome of the inquiry and appointed Firoz Cachalia as acting police minister.
According to Mkwanazi, 121 case dockets were removed from the team in early 2025 to shield suspects. He alleged that the deputy national commissioner for crime detection, Shadrack Sibiya, carried out Mchunu’s orders. National police commissioner Fannie Masemola subsequently suspended Sibiya pending an investigation, and the dockets have since been returned to KwaZulu-Natal.
On Monday, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said Masemola had commended the task team for the swift arrest of suspects that were wanted in connection with the murder of whistleblower Xolani Ndlovu Ntombela.
In a statement, the SAPS said the murder docket was one of the 121 dockets that had been returned to the task team on 28 August to continue with investigations.
“The turnaround time and swift arrests following the return of the dockets is encouraging and it is a step in the right direction. We urge the team to continue with their investigations in the remaining 120 dockets. We need to solve all these cases because families need answers and closure,” Masemola said in comments carried in the statement.
Parliament has cast Mkwanazi as a whistleblower, with Ian Cameron, chairperson of the police portfolio committee, saying: “He was fully aware of the risks — physical or career-related — and acknowledged this publicly.”
The committee has sent invitations to Masemola, Sibiya, Mchunu, Cachalia and deputy ministers Polly Boshielo and Cassel Mathale to the parliamentary hearings. Mchunu and Cachalia have not confirmed their availability.