South Africa: Police minister found on the wrong side of crime

South Africa’s Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, has been accused of having connections with high-profile crime syndicates involved in the deaths of politicians, BBC reported on July 7th.

The head of police in KwaZulu-Natal, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, made the allegations in a press briefing on July 6th. Mchunu is said to have been receiving financial support from corrupt individuals in exchange for his help in sabotaging investigations into multiple high-profile gangs.

The details of the allegations scope into a 2018 investigation in particular, in which Mkhwanazi laid out the sequence of events where Mchunu strategically disbanded a task force that was looking into the murders of multiple politicians. The task force was reportedly closing in on crime syndicates made up of politicians, police officers, drug cartels, and business executives.

President Ramaphosa labelled this controversy as a “grave national concern.” However, in his statement regarding the issue, he also said all parties should “exercise discipline and restraint” in the “trading of accusations and counter-accusations,” in fear it would undermine public confidence in the government.

South African politics is often plagued with corruption. As Maghrebi.org and Africanews reported on July 5th, politicians such as Thembi Simelane and Nobuhle Nkabane have also found themselves embroiled in corruption scandals in recent times.

Mkhwanazi has confirmed a full-blown criminal investigation into the suspected infiltration of law enforcement agencies by the aforementioned syndicates. Despite this, Mchunu denies all accusations against him, describing them as “wild allegations.”

As investigations unfold, the clash between senior officials signals a deepening crisis of trust in South Africa’s institutions, where accountability battles political power in a landscape entrenched in suspicion.

BBC, Maghrebi.org, Africanews