Parliament Urges President Ramaphosa to Address Serious Allegations Made by General Mkhwanazi

Parliament, Sunday, 06 July 2025 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, has noted the explosive allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, during a media briefing today. Mr Cameron is of the view that the allegations are serious and require urgent attention from the Head of State.

“The allegations, if correct, have far-reaching implications on the effectiveness of the South African Police Service and require immediate attention. The committee has long highlighted concerns over the rot within the South African Police Service (SAPS) which impacts its ability to investigate acts of crime and bring the worrying crime statistics down,” Mr Cameron said.

The Chairperson highlighted that the allegations are noteworthy because they have been made by such a senior-ranking officer within the SAPS. During the media briefing held on 21 January 2025, the Chairperson highlighted concerns over the lack of detail in the directive to close the Political Killings Task Team and the moratorium on the filling of vacancies within the Crime Intelligence (CI) environment, especially in the context of the centrality of CI in proactive crime prevention.

The allegations are also worrying because they lay bare the strained working relationship among senior officers within the SAPS. “If those saddled with the responsibility to drive strategies to combat crime are not working in tandem, then the entire organisation will not achieve shared goals. The President needs to lead by outlining a process to investigate the allegations and restore the credibility of the SAPS,” Mr Cameron emphasised.

The committee will meet to decide on the best process to look into the allegations and ensure accountability. This might include calling an urgent meeting with all relevant stakeholders to account for the allegations. “What is clear is that Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi has taken great personal risk to make these allegations, and the committee, Parliament, and the people in general must demand answers,” Mr Cameron suggested.