Mbalula breaks silence: Mchunu no-show at ANC integrity commission

African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu failed to appear before the party's Integrity Commission, despite accusations made against him by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mbalula told journalists on Tuesday that a meeting was planned, however, Mchunu excused himself by sending an apology.

“We were in fact expecting him to attend the meeting yesterday and he gave me an apology, and I told him that I need to sit down with him, that this absence of leave, we are not affected by it as the ANC,” he said.

However, Mbalula emphasised that Mchunu must appear before the integrity commission to explain himself.

“So, we will straighten up issues, he will come to meetings, he must execute his task as a leader of the ANC and then he must respond to what the president has decided in government,” he added.

Mbalula said the ANC commended President Cyril Ramaphosa for establishing a judicial commission to investigate the allegations made by Mkhwanazi.

“We've had many stories, individuals, criminals, crooks, others are in jail, others outside and all of that. No more TikTok commission is there. We don't want TikTok, we want commission and that commission has got powers,” he said.

Mbalula further warned the public and his fellow comrades against making statements that could lead them to appear before the commission.

“You go around saying things, they will subpoena you to deal with you in terms of that commission,” he said.

Mchunu has been at the centre of controversy for the past week after Mkhwanazi accused him of being entangled in a powerful syndicate linked to drug cartels and influential business interests.

In explosive allegations, Mkhwanazi accused Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, the deputy national commissioner for crime detection, of colluding with Brown Mogotsi, an information dealer from the North West, and Mchunu, in an alleged plot to disband the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team that has been at the centre of recent law enforcement efforts.

Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of disbanding the task team in March, effectively withdrawing 121 active dockets, many of which were linked to politically motivated killings. 

He presented WhatsApp messages, South African Police Service (SAPS) documents, and cellphone records, alleging a coordinated effort to dismantle the unit.

Mchunu, in a December 2024 letter to National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola, claimed the unit had “outlived its usefulness.”

In a decisive step, Ramaphosa not only announced the establishment of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, but he also placed Mchunu on special leave.

On Tuesday, Masemola announced that Sibiya has been requested to take a leave of absence until investigations have been completed.

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