Latest news with #NhlanhlaMkhwanazi
IOL News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Elect the right people to parliament
KZN police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has risked his career by exposing the damning allegations against the Minister of police, Senzo Mchunu, according to the writer. Image: Leon Lestrade / Independent Newspapers I admire the KZN police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's courage and boldness. Mkhwanazi has risked his career by exposing the damning allegations against the Minister of police, Senzo Mchunu. The KZN commissioner's utterances have divided the nation, though, I must say. I don't want to get into the argument of whether Commissioner Mkhwanazi was right by calling a press conference instead of reporting the matter to the national commissioner of police and the president. He has his reasons why he chose to call the press conference instead. That's a topic for another day. The other year, an ANC politician, Bathabile Dlamini, said most of the members of her political party have smallanyana skeletons in the closet. Many of us treated her utterance as a joke. But it is becoming clearer by the day that she was telling the truth. The joke is on us. It is clear that some, if not most, of our political leaders are in the pockets of drug dealers, criminals and business people. That means the decisions they take are not in the best interest of the poor masses. Instead, they make decisions that favour their handlers at the expense of citizens. Whatever happened to honesty? Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Let's say, for instance, Mchunu is indeed in the pockets of drug dealers. He, as the minister of police, would make sure that his handlers are safe and untouchable, whilst committing a crime, thus putting the lives of citizens at risk. This goes for other political leaders and ministers as well. It's public knowledge that citizens have lost trust and confidence in our political leaders and political system. This is because they (political leaders) are not honourable, and are not doing anything to redeem themselves. Worse, they don't care that citizens no longer trust them, as long as they get what they want - money and power, for instance. Lastly, it's time citizens stand up and be counted. They must stop complaining and putting their future in the hands of dishonest politicians. They should identify the right people in their communities and elect them to parliament, the legislature and the council. Otherwise, the status quo will remain. Thabile Mange, Kagiso
The South African
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The South African
Duduzile Zuma on July riots threat: 'Round 2 will be worse'
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla – the daughter of MK Party President Jacob Zuma – has threatened a 'round two' of July riots, after the party demanded the protection of KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. The political party is demanding the dismissal of Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu – who was placed on a leave of absence – amid claims he orchestrated a criminal syndicate. The party also wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to tender his resignation. In an Instagram post, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla pledged her allegiance to Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi once again. The daughter of the former president threatened to rally the MK Party into action if anything happened to the KZN provincial police commissioner. Posting a flier for the party's protest march, which occurred on Friday, 18 July, she shared: 'Once they touch him, kuzonyiwa. Round two will be worse. Let's protect this man'. Earlier this month, she defiantly posted: 'Let them touch you. We're ready for round two!'. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has pledged allegience to KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Images via Instagram: @duduzilezuma_sambundla Duduzile is referring to claims she incited violence through her social media posts during the July 2021 riots. During the civil unrest, the 42-year-old former housewife retweeted several videos of the violence and looting, which was a direct reaction to her father's incarceration on contempt-of-court charges shortly before. Duduzile is charged with contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (POCDATARA) and incitement to commit violence. She will appear in the Durban High Court again on 14 August. During the protest march in Pretoria on Friday, Duduzile-Sambudla Zuma and other MK Party members demanded that action be taken to protect Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Their list of demands included: Arrest of Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu Police file dockets of political killings should be returned to the Special Task Force Arrest of those implicated by Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, including deputy national commissioner, Shadrack Sibiya President Cyril Ramaphosa's resignation MK Party national organiser Joe Ndlela handed over a memorandum at the Union Buildings and told the crowd that they were giving the government '14 days to respond.' 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.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Public trust in SAPS falls to lowest levels in 27 years, survey shows
Public trust in SAPS falls to lowest levels in 27 years, survey shows The allegations levelled against senior national police executives by KZN provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have caused the SAPS' public trust to dip. Zululand Observer reports that research released last Friday by the Human Sciences Research Council's South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) shows trust levels have remained relatively low – and not once in 27 years have more than half the adult public trusted the police. This suggests the issue of police legitimacy is by no means new. From 1998 to 2010, the average level of trust in the police was relatively static, ranging between 39% and 42%. This was followed by a sharp decline between 2011 and 2013, after the Marikana massacre in August 2012. Confidence had almost returned to the 2011 level by the 2015 survey. The 2016–2020 period was characterised by modest fluctuations between 31% and 35%. The hard lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, which included instances of police brutality in enforcing lockdown regulations, appears to have further dented confidence, based on the 2020 survey results. In 2021, public trust in the police dipped to an all-time low of 27%, reportedly linked to the July 2021 social unrest in KZN when many criticised SAPS' poor performance. This was followed by a further 5% drop to 22% in 2022, with 2023 and 2024–25 confidence levels almost unchanged, possibly reflecting rising rates for certain crimes. The 2022, 2023 and 2024–25 figures are the lowest recorded in 27 years. The full report and figures can be accessed here. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top policeman shakes South Africa with explosive allegations about his boss
A highly respected police officer has shaken South Africa's government - and won the admiration of many ordinary people - with his explosive allegations that organised crime groups have penetrated the upper echelons of President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration. Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi did it in dramatic style - dressed in military-like uniform and surrounded by masked police officers with automatic weapons, he called a press conference to accuse Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of having ties to criminal gangs. He also said his boss had closed down an elite unit investigating political murders after it uncovered a drug cartel with tentacles in the business sector, prison department, prosecution service and judiciary. "We are on combat mode, I am taking on the criminals directly," he declared, in an address broadcast live on national TV earlier this month. South Africans have long been concerned about organised crime, which, leading crime expert Dr Johan Burger pointed out, was at a "very serious level". One of the most notorious cases was that of South Africa's longest-serving police chief, Jackie Selebi, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 after being convicted of taking bribes from an Italian drug lord, Glen Agliotti, in exchange for turning a blind eye to his criminal activity. But Gen Mkhwanazi's intervention was unprecedented - the first time that a police officer had publicly accused a cabinet member, let alone the one in charge of policing, of having links to criminal gangs. The reaction was instantaneous. Mchunu dismissed the allegations as "wild and baseless" and said he "stood ready to respond to the accusations", but the public rallied around Gen Mkhwanazi - the police commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal - despite the province also being Mchunu's political turf. #HandsoffNhlanhlaMkhwanazi topped the trends list on X, in a warning shot to the government not to touch the 52-year-old officer. "He's [seen as] a no-nonsense person who takes the bull by the horn," Calvin Rafadi, a crime expert based at South Africa's University of Johannesburg, told the BBC. Gen Mkhwanazi first earned public admiration almost 15 years ago when, in his capacity as South Africa's acting police chief, he suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, a close ally of then-President Jacob Zuma. Mdluli was later sentenced to five years in jail for kidnapping, assault, and intimidation, vindicating Gen Mkhwanazi's view that he was a rotten apple within the police service. Gen Mkhwanazi faced enormous pressure to shield Mdluli, with his political bosses assuming that the officer, aged only 38 at the time, would be "open to manipulation [but] they were grossly mistaken", said Dr Burger. Not only did he push ahead with Mdluli's suspension, he also made claims of political interference during an appearance in Parliament. While this move earned him brownie points with citizens, his public outburst did him no favours and he was axed barely a year into the job and shunted back into obscurity for a number of years. He made a dramatic comeback in 2018 when then-Police Minister Bheki Cele appointed him to the provincial police chief post, with one of his major tasks being to investigate killings in a province where competition for political power - and lucrative state tenders - is fierce. It would be the disbandment of this investigative unit by Mr Mchunu that led to Gen Mkhwanazi's explosive briefing a fortnight ago, complaining that 121 case dockets were "gathering dust" at the national police headquarters. "I will die for this [police] badge. I will not back down," Gen Mkhwanazi said, in line with his reputation of being a brave and selfless officer who cannot be captured by a corrupt political and business elite. A survey by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSCRC) shows that public trust in the police stands at an all-time low of 22%, The police force has long been plagued by issues of political interference, corruption and a seeming inability to effectively tackle the high crime levels. The crisis has also reached the force's upper structures, with about 10 different police chiefs since 2000 - one has been convicted of corruption and another currently faces criminal charges. "The dysfunction is across all levels," Gareth Newham of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) think-tank told the BBC, adding that "there are many dynamics within the police service that need to be fixed". South Africa's police minister accused of links to criminal gangs Caught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfare But Gen Mkhwanazi's tenure has not been without controversy. He was the subject of an investigation by the police watchdog, following a complaint that he interfered in a criminal investigation into a senior prisons official. However, he was cleared of the charge last month, with the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) saying the complaint was "designed to derail a committed officer who has been unrelenting in his fight against crime and corruption". Gen Mkhwanazi's team has also faced criticism for their heavy-handed approach towards criminal suspects, who are sometimes shot dead in confrontations with officers under his command. Mr Newham said that with Gen Mkhwanazi seen as the "cop's cop", the public was willing to turn a blind eye to his officers' alleged abuses because "they want to have a hero in the police". With Mchunu sent packing, South Africa will have a new acting police minister from next month - Firoz Cachalia, a law professor who comes from a renowned family of anti-apartheid activists, and served as minister of Community Safety in Gauteng, South Africa's economic heartland, from 2004 to 2009. In an interview with local TV station Newzroom Afrika, Cachalia said that Gen Mkhwanazi's decision to go public with his explosive allegations was "highly unusual", but if they turned out to be true then "we will be able to see in retrospect that he was perfectly justified in doing what he did". So Gen Mkhwanazi's credibility is on the line - either he proves his allegations against Mchunu or he could fall on his sword. But for now he has cemented his reputation as a brave police officer who took on his political bosses - twice. More BBC stories on South Africa: Ramaphosa struggles to mend fences with Trump South Africa's political marriage of convenience avoids divorce - just How Ramaphosa might gain from US showdown Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi: The top cop who stood up to politicians
A highly respected police officer has shaken South Africa's government - and won the admiration of many ordinary people - with his explosive allegations that organised crime groups have penetrated the upper echelons of President Cyril Ramaphosa's Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi did it in dramatic style - dressed in military-like uniform and surrounded by masked police officers with automatic weapons, he called a press conference to accuse Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of having ties to criminal also said his boss had closed down an elite unit investigating political murders after it uncovered a drug cartel with tentacles in the business sector, prison department, prosecution service and judiciary."We are on combat mode, I am taking on the criminals directly," he declared, in an address broadcast live on national TV earlier this Africans have long been concerned about organised crime, which, leading crime expert Dr Johan Burger pointed out, was at a "very serious level". One of the most notorious cases was that of South Africa's longest-serving police chief, Jackie Selebi, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 after being convicted of taking bribes from an Italian drug lord, Glen Agliotti, in exchange for turning a blind eye to his criminal Gen Mkhwanazi's intervention was unprecedented - the first time that a police officer had publicly accused a cabinet member, let alone the one in charge of policing, of having links to criminal reaction was instantaneous. Mchunu dismissed the allegations as "wild and baseless" and said he "stood ready to respond to the accusations", but the public rallied around Gen Mkhwanazi - the police commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal - despite the province also being Mchunu's political turf.#HandsoffNhlanhlaMkhwanazi topped the trends list on X, in a warning shot to the government not to touch the 52-year-old officer."He's [seen as] a no-nonsense person who takes the bull by the horn," Calvin Rafadi, a crime expert based at South Africa's University of Johannesburg, told the BBC. Gen Mkhwanazi first earned public admiration almost 15 years ago when, in his capacity as South Africa's acting police chief, he suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, a close ally of then-President Jacob was later sentenced to five years in jail for kidnapping, assault, and intimidation, vindicating Gen Mkhwanazi's view that he was a rotten apple within the police Mkhwanazi faced enormous pressure to shield Mdluli, with his political bosses assuming that the officer, aged only 38 at the time, would be "open to manipulation [but] they were grossly mistaken", said Dr only did he push ahead with Mdluli's suspension, he also made claims of political interference during an appearance in this move earned him brownie points with citizens, his public outburst did him no favours and he was axed barely a year into the job and shunted back into obscurity for a number of years. He made a dramatic comeback in 2018 when then-Police Minister Bheki Cele appointed him to the provincial police chief post, with one of his major tasks being to investigate killings in a province where competition for political power - and lucrative state tenders - is would be the disbandment of this investigative unit by Mr Mchunu that led to Gen Mkhwanazi's explosive briefing a fortnight ago, complaining that 121 case dockets were "gathering dust" at the national police headquarters."I will die for this [police] badge. I will not back down," Gen Mkhwanazi said, in line with his reputation of being a brave and selfless officer who cannot be captured by a corrupt political and business elite.A survey by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSCRC) shows that public trust in the police stands at an all-time low of 22%,The police force has long been plagued by issues of political interference, corruption and a seeming inability to effectively tackle the high crime crisis has also reached the force's upper structures, with about 10 different police chiefs since 2000 - one has been convicted of corruption and another currently faces criminal charges."The dysfunction is across all levels," Gareth Newham of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) think-tank told the BBC, adding that "there are many dynamics within the police service that need to be fixed".South Africa's police minister accused of links to criminal gangsCaught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfareBut Gen Mkhwanazi's tenure has not been without controversy. He was the subject of an investigation by the police watchdog, following a complaint that he interfered in a criminal investigation into a senior prisons he was cleared of the charge last month, with the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) saying the complaint was "designed to derail a committed officer who has been unrelenting in his fight against crime and corruption".Gen Mkhwanazi's team has also faced criticism for their heavy-handed approach towards criminal suspects, who are sometimes shot dead in confrontations with officers under his Newham said that with Gen Mkhwanazi seen as the "cop's cop", the public was willing to turn a blind eye to his officers' alleged abuses because "they want to have a hero in the police".With Mchunu sent packing, South Africa will have a new acting police minister from next month - Firoz Cachalia, a law professor who comes from a renowned family of anti-apartheid activists, and served as minister of Community Safety in Gauteng, South Africa's economic heartland, from 2004 to an interview with local TV station Newzroom Afrika, Cachalia said that Gen Mkhwanazi's decision to go public with his explosive allegations was "highly unusual", but if they turned out to be true then "we will be able to see in retrospect that he was perfectly justified in doing what he did".So Gen Mkhwanazi's credibility is on the line - either he proves his allegations against Mchunu or he could fall on his for now he has cemented his reputation as a brave police officer who took on his political bosses - twice. More BBC stories on South Africa: Ramaphosa struggles to mend fences with TrumpSouth Africa's political marriage of convenience avoids divorce - justHow Ramaphosa might gain from US showdown Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
