Judicial Commission of Inquiry launched into Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s alleged misconduct
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu placed on special leave and will be investigated for interfering with police work.
Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers
President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and appointed a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe his alleged interference in police work.
Addressing the nation on Sunday evening Ramaphosa said after the KwaZulu-Natal provincial Police Commissioner’s revelations that Mchunu had allegedly interfered with police work and allegedly colluded with business people in circumventing police investigations, he has decided to place him on special leave.
The president also announced that the commission will be chaired by the Acting Chief Mbuyiseli Justice Madlanga who is due for retirement soon, adding that the retirement will enable him to focus on the job at hand.
The president also announced that Professor Firoz Cachalia will act as Police Minister at the beginning of the next month, however, a cabinet minister will be appointed to act until Cachallia takes over.
In terms of the constitution the president is allowed to appoint to his cabinet three people outside of parliament.The commission has been instructed to deliver its preliminary report within three months and full report within six months. The president reiterated that allegations and if not addressed were going to have a negative impact.
The commission will investigate the facilitation of organised crime, targeting of officials who were against the criminal activities within the security cluster or government. The commission will investigate officials who may have aided criminals,” said Ramaphosa.
The president did not say anything about Higher Education Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane whom he reportedly cancelled her overseas trip at a last minute on Friday.
The cancellation suggested that he would also act against her after revelations that she misled parliament when she said the recommendations to appoint SETA board members were made by an independent panel which later emerged that some of them were her staff.
Several reports earlier suggested that the president may reshuffle the cabinet and remove Nkabane. Political analysts warned that it was going to be impossible for the president to remove two ministers from the politically complex province like KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the next year’s local government elections. There were fears that there would be political backlash from the ANC members who may sympathise with the two ministers.
The country has been on the edge since last week after KwaZulu-Natal provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged Minister Mchunu, politicians, the top brass in the police, prosecutors, and judges were in the pockets of crime syndicates.
Mkhwanazi said last year, he received a request from Gauteng’s police organised crime unit for assistance in arresting drug cartel suspects who the unit had discovered were working with top politicians in Parliament.
He stated that the unit arrested a businessman Vusimuzi Cat Matlala and police discovered text messages between the minister and the suspect. Matlala has had about R360 million tender with SAPS which was later cancelled after it emerged that there were alleged discrepancies during the bid.
He further stated that the minister’s associate Brown Mogotsi also sent a message to the suspect informing him that he had arranged a meeting between the minister and the Deputy National Commissioner from Crime Prevention, Shadrack Sibiya, to find a solution. Mogotsi whom Mchunu has later admitted is said to be used by him as a proxy in dealing with underworld syndicates. Mkhwanazi also alleged that the real reason for disbanding the political killings unit was a revenge by Mchunu for assisting in arresting Matlala. Mchunu and Sibiya both dismissed the rumours as baseless.