The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has called for an independent and credible investigation into the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Head of governance, crime and justice at the ISS, Gareth Newham, said this probe needs to happen as soon as possible and be led by a retired judge to bring credibility to the process.
On Sunday, Mkhwanazi said the political killings task team has unmasked a syndicate controlled by a drug cartel that involves politicians, law enforcement, business people, prosecutors and the judiciary.
He alleged political interference in some cases that police are investigating, and also questioned some of the decisions allegedly made by police minister Senzo Mchunu on the dissolution of the political killings task team.
He accused national deputy police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya of issuing written instructions withdrawing all case dockets from the political killings task team and transferring them to his office, potentially interfering with ongoing investigations.
Sibiya hit back in a series of interviews with TV news channels and accused Mkhwanazi of claiming victories that were not his.
During a briefing, Mkhwanazi lamented how several high-profile murder cases involving musicians remained unresolved in Gauteng, and said the task team he had sent from his province to help was close to cracking some of those cases. He said they had found guns used in the murders of musicians whom he declined to name.
He also issued a stark warning that the rot in the system runs deeper than just political killings and drug crimes. “It now includes efforts to silence investigations into the murders of celebrities,” he said.
Mkhwanazi noted that the alleged killers of rapper AKA, who was gunned down in Durban in 2023, were already in court on murder charges.
“At least in our case, we made an arrest that is known in public about the murder of AKA and his friend. But in Gauteng we haven't had much [luck]. We now know that these firearms are linked to the murders of some of those artists. So the decision must now be taken that these people must be prosecuted, because I now know who the suspects are that are involved.
He has drawn support publicly; he is seen as a no-nonsense police officer. He has a lot of public support across the country and within the police, and to come out publicly and claim that there is evidence, it is incredibly negative for the South African Police Service.
“We know who the suspects are, but the prosecution has not signed off on their arrest warrants. The failure to act is rooted in interference from senior officials who are protecting criminal networks tied to drug cartels,” he said.
However, Sibiya said he was the one who made the arrests in the AKA murder.
“He [Mkhwanazi] was refusing to make an arrest. I'm the one who arrested those suspects,” Sibiya told Newzroom Afrika on Sunday.
Newham said it was unusual for two top police officers to go after each other publicly.
He said this evidence which Mkhwanazi claimed to have, involves not only the minister and other senior police officials, but also the judiciary, the NPA and the metro police.
“That needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency, they should [do that inquiry] probably under the supervision of a retired judge to make sure it is a truly independent investigation,” he said.
He said the inquiry should be credible and could guide the president about the steps to take next.
“Right now, we just have allegations, we have a presentation that claims to have evidence, but you can’t be sure what is happening. It will cause problems,” he said.
Newham said the SAPS is run by a board of commissioners — at the provincial, national and divisional levels.
“They sit on the board of commissioners that meets monthly, and they have to make decisions for the whole organisation with a large budget, and right now what we know from Sunday's media briefing is that two of the very powerful people on that board of commissioners are not talking to each other and there are serious allegations that were made,” he said.
“If the top leadership are fighting and undermining each other in that organisation, we can’t see effective energy in achieving its goals. There has to be some urgency in solving this as soon as possible,” he said.
Newham added that Sunday's press briefing was well planned and Mkhwanazi wanted to send out a public and powerful message and get his story out there.
“But why is he doing that, and why is he doing it now? I have no idea. It is definitely not good for the image of the police. He is certainly a very well-known general.
“He has drawn support publicly; he is seen as a no-nonsense police officer. He has a lot of public support across the country and within the police, and to come out publicly and claim that there is evidence, it is incredibly negative for the South African Police Service,” he said.
He added that the only person who could ensure stability in the SAPS was the president, who appoints the minister of police and the national commissioner.
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