logo
Do you have faith in the commission of inquiry to investigate Mkhwanazi's allegations?

Do you have faith in the commission of inquiry to investigate Mkhwanazi's allegations?

TimesLIVEa day ago
Opposition parties have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to establish a commission of inquiry to look into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against senior law enforcement officials, including police minister Senzo Mchunu.
On Sunday, Ramaphosa announced he was placing Mchunu on special leave while the commission of inquiry, chaired by acting deputy chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, investigated the alleged political interference in police operations.
Opposition parties, including ActionSA, the DA and the Good party, argued that previous inquiries yielded little results. Meanwhile Rise Mzansi welcomed the move.
Good party secretary-general Brett Herron said the appointment of a commission, while well-intentioned, is too slow, too cumbersome and too costly.
'We have walked this road before, most notably with the Zondo commission, and we have seen that a commission of inquiry cannot replace a criminal investigation. The Zondo commission produced volumes of prima facie evidence, which the investigating authorities were then required to investigate before any decision to prosecute could be made,' he said.
There have been at least two notable commissions of inquiry since Ramaphosa took office in 2018 — the commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture and the commission of inquiry into the delay in the investigation and prosecution of TRC cases.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mbalula: Mchunu to stay in parliament, ANC committee despite suspension
Mbalula: Mchunu to stay in parliament, ANC committee despite suspension

Mail & Guardian

timean hour ago

  • Mail & Guardian

Mbalula: Mchunu to stay in parliament, ANC committee despite suspension

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula. (X) ANC secretary general 'Comrade Senzo is a member of parliament, he belongs to parliament. He will attend parliament and will perform all the duties that are expected of him to perform as a member of parliament,' Mbalulat told a media briefing on Tuesday at the party's Luthuli House headquarters. His remarks came after President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended Mchunu on Sunday following corruption allegations against him by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Mbalula said the ANC national working committee meeting, which took place on Monday, discussed the Mchunu matter. 'He didn't attend and he said [it was] because of a leave of absence. I will explain to him that the leave of absence does not apply to the ANC and his politics,' Mbalula said. He added that the party supported Ramaphosa's decision to suspend Mchunu from his cabinet post while an investigation was under way. The president has appointed the acting deputy chief justice, Mbuyiseli Madlanga, to chair the inquiry, with advocates Sesi Baloyi and Sandile Khumalo assisting. Ramaphosa has appointed former MP and respected legal academic Firoz Cachalia as acting police minister while the inquiry proceeds. Earlier this month, Mkhwanazi told a briefing in Durban that Mchunu had interfered with sensitive investigations and protected business person Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala. He also alleged that Mchunu had links with Matlala's associate, Brown Mogotsi, and that these ties influenced policing decisions in the province. The KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner said they had uncovered a syndicate involving politicians, metro police, correctional services, prosecutors, members of the judiciary and business people working with a drug cartel. On Tuesday, Mbalula said the ANC welcomed the inquiry as a legal and institutional process to deal with the allegations. 'This is not a moment for complacency,' he said. 'If left unaddressed, these allegations threaten to erode public trust in institutions meant to uphold the law.' Mbalula dismissed reports that the ANC's integrity commission had made findings against Mchunu. 'There has been no interaction between Comrade Senzo and the integrity commission. When it happens, it will follow proper procedure,' he said. He warned against spreading misinformation online and accused some of using the matter for political gain. Mbalula said Ramaphosa had shown consistency in upholding the law. 'The fight against crime and corruption will not be waged through expediency or grandstanding, but through lawful and transparent processes.' He cited the Zondo state capture commission and the Nugent commission on the South African Revenue Service as examples of how inquiries can lead to reform. 'These commissions exposed wrongdoing and informed legislative and structural reforms,' said Mbalula. Critics have, however, pointed out that no successful prosecutions have resulted from the work of the Zondo commission. Mbalula said the ANC continues to support the president's use of commissions where systemic failure or political interference has paralysed existing institutions. He added that the party had postponed its NEC meeting, which had been scheduled for this coming weekend, because preparatory reports were incomplete. 'The NEC was initially meant to focus on the national budget impasse, but its agenda has since expanded to include discussions on the government of national unity, the alliance with the South African Communist Party [SACP], the state of the organisation, and preparations for the national general council,' he said. A new date has not been confirmed, but the meeting is expected to sit for four to five days. The NEC will also consider the SACP's announcement that it may contest the 2026 elections independently. He said alliance consultations are nearly complete and that the ANC hopes to convene the alliance political council before the NEC meets.

Minister Lamola's spokesperson slams DA over Jonas envoy claims
Minister Lamola's spokesperson slams DA over Jonas envoy claims

The South African

time3 hours ago

  • The South African

Minister Lamola's spokesperson slams DA over Jonas envoy claims

Minister Ronald Lamola's spokesperson has hit back at the Democratic Alliance (DA). This follows its claims that the United States denied Mcebisi Jonas a diplomatic visa. The DA said the US rejected Jonas' role as South Africa's special envoy. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on 15 July, Chrispin Phiri accused the DA, lobby groups, and 'fringe media platforms' of undermining national efforts to protect South Africa's economic interests. Phiri said that the US tariffs are a global issue and it's not unique to South Africa. He said the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition is currently handling the issue. The spokesperson accused DA MP Emma Powell of leading a delegation to the United States. He said that the delegation sought help from the US to change foreign and other policies. Phiri stated that this resulted in negative views and sentiments about South Africa. The spokesperson also criticised Powell's trip to Israel with DA MP Andrew Whitfield. Phiri stated that the trip had been 'rightfully criticised' for whitewashing Israel's conduct. JONAS DENIED ENTRY TO THE US The DA alleges that Jonas was denied entry to the US in May. The party said that President Cyril Ramaphosa continued to claim he was acting as a special envoy. The Presidency has yet to respond officially to the claims. The spokesperson dismissed DA MP Emma Louise Powell's claims about Jonas's lack of accreditation, calling it a 'red herring.' 'Special envoys do not get accredited to a country. These are not diplomatic postings and do not require the presentation of credentials. Even envoys representing the US President do not publicly report on their work,' Phiri said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

DA calls for rights commission, Public Protector to probe ‘neglect' of evicted KZN flood victims
DA calls for rights commission, Public Protector to probe ‘neglect' of evicted KZN flood victims

Daily Maverick

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Maverick

DA calls for rights commission, Public Protector to probe ‘neglect' of evicted KZN flood victims

The party also says it will table a motion of no confidence against the eThekwini city manager, the mayor and two council members after the flood victims were evicted from their Durban accommodation. The move by the party comes after the Department of Human Settlements announced it had bought a Durban building to ensure flood victims are never evicted due to nonpayment again. On 9 July 2025, more than 150 of the victims were evicted from the state-provided temporary accommodation, the Bayside Hotel in central Durban. They were told this was because of nonpayment of rent. They spent hours on the street outside the building with their belongings, and slept there, before being moved to accommodation in Umbilo, Durban, the next day (10 July). 'What hurts us the most is we were told they didn't pay, we were standing outside for hours (calling for help) and no one was picking up calls, we had children there, nobody gave us any attention,' one of the victims said in a voice note sent to Daily Maverick. In a statement on 14 July 2025, councillor Thabani Mthethwa, the DA's eThekwini caucus leader, said: 'The Democratic Alliance in eThekwini has written to the South African Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector to request an urgent investigation into the recent neglect of eThekwini flood victims. Vulnerable residents, many of them women and children, were evicted from shelters and forced to sleep on the streets. This is a human rights violation, and it cannot go unanswered.' The KZN flood victims' spokesperson, Sibongile Mkhize, told Daily Maverick she is grateful to the councillors, including Sbu Lushaba, who stayed with the victims all night while making calls, along with civil society organisations which also helped. Mkhize said that instead of the situation getting better for flood victims, it seems to be getting worse. Mthethwa said this incident and previous challenges faced by flood victims as far back as 2022 are examples of a greater collapse of the city's leadership. As a result, the DA would table a motion of no confidence against the city manager, the mayor and two council members. MEC for transport and human settlements Siboniso Duma said during a media briefing on 13 July that the affected flood victims were now 'living comfortably and warmly in a safe place in Umbilo'. Duma also thanked the councillors and civil society organisations who provided food to the victims. New building Duma announced the acquisition of the Montclair Lodge by the Department of Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal. It was bought from Transnet for R33-million and would be repurposed to accommodate flood victims. 'In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the temporary emergency accommodation. The lodge boasts a total of 268 rooms with a bed capacity of 600. The building is managed by the Housing Development Agency on behalf of the KZN Department of Human Settlements. A professional engineer will be appointed before the end of July 2025 to do a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment,' Duma said. A contractor would be appointed immediately following basic assessments. 'A minimum of R35-million will be set aside for the refurbishment, while R4.2-million has been made available for the basic assessment. It is anticipated that some flood victims will take up residence in the lodge during the month of December 2025 or January 2026. Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season. This milestone of a government-owned transitional emergency accommodation will drastically reduce the rent paid to privately owned transitional accommodations,' Duma added. To avoid flood victims facing eviction and other challenges in rented properties all stakeholders had decided to streamline some of the responsibilities. 'In our meeting with the minister of human settlements, Thembi Simelane, and the mayor of eThekwini, Cyril Xaba, we have agreed to review the Temporary Emergency Accommodation Policy. This will help us avoid the repetition of a similar situation faced by the flood victims at Bayside Hotel… Following our engagement with Minister Thembi Simelane, we wish to announce that the KZN Department of Human Settlements has been given the mandate to take over the administrative coordination and responsibility of temporary emergency accommodation,' Duma said. DM

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store