KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi maintains he is unafraid of potential retaliation after levelling explosive allegations against senior law enforcement officials.
The controversy stems from a July 2025 media briefing where Mkhwanazi alleged criminal syndicates have infiltrated the criminal justice system. He linked several high-ranking officials, including suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu and suspended deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, to alleged criminal cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Wrapping up his testimony before the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating the allegations on Wednesday, Mkhwanazi acknowledged his claims may have put a target on his back, but said he remained unshaken.
“We shall all die; nobody will live forever,” Mkhwanazi said. “It depends on how you die.
“I’m not much of a Christian. Christians tend to be very afraid of dying despite their prayers, but I’m not necessarily worried about death. If it gets me, it gets me.”
Mkhwanazi said his fearlessness extends to his personal life and hobbies.
“That’s why I can walk out of here and play with explosives or go skydiving. Anything can happen there, and you can die. Death will catch us all.”
Despite his bravado, the commissioner admitted life for him and his family has changed drastically since the July 6 briefing last year.
“When I took that action, I made a conscious decision to stand for the truth, knowing my family would be affected.
“I can’t easily walk around with my children or sit in a restaurant to enjoy a meal because people approach you. You can’t go where normal people go.”
Mkhwanazi expressed frustration about his lost privacy: “I’m a person who loves freedom. I don’t like being guarded all the time. That’s why I’m saying those who might be planning something must move with speed if it is to happen.”
TimesLIVE
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