South African president suspends police minister
Mchunu denied the allegations by Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, police commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal province, at a media briefing last Sunday.
He said the accusations were baseless and in a statement issued by his spokesperson last week said he was committed to upholding the rule of law.
Ramaphosa, whose rise to the highest office was built on promises to fight corruption, has been under pressure to act swiftly as political parties and citizens said the allegations called into question the integrity of the criminal justice system.
Investors have for years expressed concern over rampant crime that the World Bank estimates costs South Africa an estimated 10 per cent of gross domestic product each year.
"These allegations therefore call for an urgent and comprehensive investigation," Ramaphosa said in a public address, adding he would establish a judicial commission of inquiry for this purpose.
Ramaphosa said he will appoint law professor Firoz Cachalia as acting minister of police.
Mchunu is a senior figure in Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party, and political analysts have said he could run for a leadership position at the ANC's next elective conference in 2027.
Citing digital evidence such as WhatsApp messages, Mkhwanazi's allegations included that Mchunu had disbanded a police unit tasked with investigating politically motivated killings to protect politicians, police officers and other people linked to a criminal syndicate.
Mkhwanazi said more than 100 case files were taken away from the political killings task team and have not been investigated further since.
The Democratic Alliance party, the ANC's main coalition partner, called for a parliamentary inquiry into the allegations against Mchunu.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Gina Rinehart's right-hand woman Teena McQueen out the door at Hancock
Just last year, colourful Liberal Party identity Teena McQueen was at Mar-a-Lago celebrating Donald Trump's electoral triumph alongside her boss, Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart and Nigel 'Mr Brexit' Farage, the betting markets' pick for next British prime minister. McQueen, a regular talking head on Sky News' after-dark programming, joined the Hancock Prospecting payroll in 2022 as a group principal policy adviser to the executive team, and has, since acted as a kind of Robin to Rinehart's Batman, travelling with the boss to Florida last year and hanging out at Trump's estate for the long victory celebrations. But no more. CBD hears McQueen is out of her role at the Hancock Prospecting family. Rinehart's normally helpful team issued a swift 'no comment' in response to our queries. But McQueen told us she would be taking some time off for family issues. 'She's still a very good friend and wonderful person,' she said of her billionaire pal. Loading McQueen, a former federal Liberal vice-president, was at the time of her hiring by Rinehart subject to a gag order by the party following a train wreck appearance on Q&A. MCQueen has managed to outlive the ABC program which was euthanised a few months ago, and has recently made a name for herself through some fairly full-blooded interventions in WhatsApp groups. When broadcaster Alan Jones was charged with indecent assault offences last year (which he denies and is contesting), McQueen sprung to action, telling a Liberal group chat the whole thing was 'absolute bullshit'. More recently, she told another group chat a petition calling for gender quotas in the Liberal Party was 'disgraceful'. Although as this column reported, someone calling themselves 'Teena McQueen' – in jest – did sign that very same petition.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
‘I am richer haha': Fugitive transport manager's message after $150,000 crypto transfer
A now-sacked Transport for NSW manager who is on the run after allegedly pocketing $11.5 million in kickbacks regularly gave step-by-step instructions about how to transfer cryptocurrency from a road contractor's account to one he was the beneficiary of, an inquiry has heard. WhatsApp messages, emails and phone records in 2021 show communications between Protection Barriers director Meshel Chellew and then-Transport for NSW manager Ibrahim Helmy about how she could set up a cryptocurrency account and later transfer funds of up to $150,000 at a time to another crypto account from the company. In one exchange between the pair in 2021, a WhatsApp message from Helmy confirming that a transfer had come through read: 'I am richer haha.' The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with companies, including Protection Barriers, that were paid at least $343 million in contracts. Helmy, 38, failed to appear before the ICAC in May and police have a warrant out for his arrest. Under questioning on Wednesday, Chellow confirmed Helmy would regularly instruct her while on the phone about a cryptocurrency transfer, providing by email details which she then cut and pasted into Protection Barriers' cryptocurrency account to enable transfers. 'He is sending me a step-by-step guide. I can't follow what he said on the phone sometimes. He would send me a screenshot,' she told the inquiry. 'He is always on the phone. I didn't have a clue what I was looking at.' Their first conversation was on March 13, 2021, after her husband, Jason Chellew, told her that Helmy would call to instruct her about how to set up an account for Protection Barriers. 'He just says, 'a guy will call you',' she said. '[Jason] said we are going to set up an account for [cryptocurrency exchange] Independent Reserve and I didn't even know what it was.'
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I am richer haha': Fugitive transport manager's message after $150,000 crypto transfer
A now-sacked Transport for NSW manager who is on the run after allegedly pocketing $11.5 million in kickbacks regularly gave step-by-step instructions about how to transfer cryptocurrency from a road contractor's account to one he was the beneficiary of, an inquiry has heard. WhatsApp messages, emails and phone records in 2021 show communications between Protection Barriers director Meshel Chellew and then-Transport for NSW manager Ibrahim Helmy about how she could set up a cryptocurrency account and later transfer funds of up to $150,000 at a time to another crypto account from the company. In one exchange between the pair in 2021, a WhatsApp message from Helmy confirming that a transfer had come through read: 'I am richer haha.' The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with companies, including Protection Barriers, that were paid at least $343 million in contracts. Helmy, 38, failed to appear before the ICAC in May and police have a warrant out for his arrest. Under questioning on Wednesday, Chellow confirmed Helmy would regularly instruct her while on the phone about a cryptocurrency transfer, providing by email details which she then cut and pasted into Protection Barriers' cryptocurrency account to enable transfers. 'He is sending me a step-by-step guide. I can't follow what he said on the phone sometimes. He would send me a screenshot,' she told the inquiry. 'He is always on the phone. I didn't have a clue what I was looking at.' Their first conversation was on March 13, 2021, after her husband, Jason Chellew, told her that Helmy would call to instruct her about how to set up an account for Protection Barriers. 'He just says, 'a guy will call you',' she said. '[Jason] said we are going to set up an account for [cryptocurrency exchange] Independent Reserve and I didn't even know what it was.'
