South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed swift action following explosive allegations made by a top provincial police official against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and other senior law enforcement figures.
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, accused Mchunu of receiving illicit payments from a corruption suspect and interfering with investigations into politically linked killings. The commissioner, who spoke during a high-security press briefing flanked by masked and armed officers, claimed that Mchunu and other officials obstructed law enforcement operations targeting organised crime.
The allegations have sparked outrage across South Africa’s political landscape, with multiple parties demanding an immediate inquiry. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) stressed that the matter should be treated with “urgency and seriousness,” while the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) called for an emergency parliamentary debate. The DA also renewed its calls for President Ramaphosa to remove any ministers linked to corruption.
Minister Mchunu has denied the claims, dismissing them as baseless and unsupported by evidence, but acknowledged that the matter would be reviewed.
From the BRICS summit in Brazil, President Ramaphosa labeled the situation a “grave national security concern” and promised that the issue would receive top-level attention, with more decisive steps to follow upon his return to South Africa.
Rampant corruption and high crime rates continue to pose major threats to South Africa’s economic progress and political stability, with this latest scandal intensifying pressure on the government to restore accountability and trust in law enforcement.
