‘My friend was angry’: Nkabinde responds to Mkhwanazi’s claims he had no clue about chief of staff role

Cedrick Nkabinde, the chief of staff in suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s office, has dismissed his “friend” KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s claims that he did not have a clue about his role when he was appointed by Mchunu last year.

Mkhwanazi previously told parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system that Nkabinde’s appointment was a drastic move from a junior position to a top position. He said Nkabinde called him to ask what the role entailed when he was appointed, emphasising he had no idea what the job entailed.

Testifying before the committee on Thursday, Nkabinde said Mkhwanazi was angry when he made that statement because he had recorded a conversation in which Mkhwanazi allegedly threatened Mchunu.

“What came to my mind was that my friend was angry that I recorded him,” he said. “He was angry and had to say anything that would taint my image. I appreciate he only said that. His anger was very controlled.”

He said Mkhwanazi helped him find a job when he left Ipid in 2018, “as a friend”, citing that he knew his qualifications.

“A friend of mine who assisted me in getting a job knows my qualifications. He would not do so without knowing them. We even laughed about having the same qualification, the BTech degree in policing.”

Mkhwanazi assisted me to get a job in a private sector company. That’s what friends are for — because he was my friend

—  Cedrick Nkabinde

Nkabinde was appointed chief of staff after being nominated by Mchunu to a panel of interviewers last year. He said he had all the relevant qualifications to be appointed to the role.

“My relevant qualifications are a national diploma and a BTech degree in policing, and a basic training certificate obtained at the Bisho police academy. I hold several cadre development courses, which include a detective learning programme sexual offences investigation, crime administration system, and I was trained and accredited as a qualified detective trainer.”

He further explained his working experience in the SAPS, saying he started working as a detective constable in 2004. He moved to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) in 2010 as a captain and was promoted to assistant director at the same organisation in 2012, a position he held until he resigned in 2018.

After resigning, he took a post in the private sector as head of forensics from November 2018, a position he said Mkhwanazi helped him get, until being appointed as chief of staff in 2024.

“Mkhwanazi assisted me to get a job in a private sector company. That’s what friends are for — because he was my friend.”

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