KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says he does not have money to hire bodyguards for his family so their safety is no different from that of any other South African and can only be guaranteed by the police.
Mkhwanazi, who appeared before parliament’s ad hoc committee probing allegations of political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, was asked whether his family were being threatened and if they had enough protection.
“The safety of my family is the responsibility of police officers. I said in public before that I have family members in most provinces. The guarantee of their safety is up to the men and women in blue to provide security.
“I don’t have money to hire bodyguards for my family members. It is impossible. Their safety can only be guaranteed by men and women in blue, who are supposed to protect everyone. Their safety is equal to the safety of every citizen,” he said, adding his family’s vulnerability to crime is the same as that of other citizens.
“There is no special provision for them. It is what I am trying to fight for: that the SAPS must be allowed to make sure we protect citizens, including my family members.”
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