President Cyril Ramaphosa said he placed Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu on special leave so that the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi can be properly investigated and their veracity determined.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated his decision not to dismiss suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu from his Cabinet.
Responding to parliamentary questions from MK Party MP Vusi Shongwe, Ramaphosa said he placed Mchunu on special leave so that the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi can be examined.
Shongwe said serious allegations and evidence presented before the Ad Hoc Committee implicated Mchunu.
He asked whether the threshold for executive accountability was only triggered after criminal convictions, and whether political and ethical standards expected of members of the executive were no longer required to take decisive action when Parliament uncovers serious governance failures.
In response, Ramaphosa underscored the gravity of Mkhwanazi's allegations, which he stated could have significant consequences for national security and public safety.
“Following the publication of these allegations, I took the decision to place the Minister of Police on special leave to have the allegations properly ventilated and their veracity determined. I established a Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System to investigate the allegations made by General Lieutenant Mkhwanazi.”
Ramaphosa stated that the commission is actively investigating the allegations, reinforcing his commitment to accountability while upholding his oath to protect the Constitution.
“Executive accountability is sourced from the Constitution. Members of the executive are constitutionally obligated not to act in any way inconsistent with the Constitution. This includes not exposing themselves to any situation involving the risk of conflict between their official responsibilities and private interests or using their position or any information entrusted to them to enrich themselves or improperly benefit any other person.”
According to Ramaphosa, executive accountability was triggered when there had been a failure to adhere to the obligations imposed by the Constitution.
“Where Parliament uncovers serious governance failures, it has a constitutional duty and power to ensure that all executive organs of state in the national sphere are accountable to it and to maintain oversight on the exercise of national executive authority.”
He said he was enjoined to act in line with his oath of office to protect the Constitution.
“How I choose to fulfil these obligations is subject to the principle of legality. In this case, I have done so by appointing the Acting Minister of Police, putting the minister on special leave, and establishing the Commission of Inquiry,” Ramaphosa said.
Meanwhile, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said Crime Intelligence has not collapsed, despite the challenges it is facing.
“The division still executes its mandate in terms of gathering, analysing, and disseminating information to combat crime, particularly organised crime,” he said.
His comment was in response to parliamentary questions from Shongwe, who asked whether he found the challenges that caused the Crime Intelligence to fail to infiltrate organised crime syndicates, political killings, and extortion mafias.
Cachalia said Crime Intelligence has notable successes in addressing organised crime threats, especially in tackling cash-in-transit in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.
“The impact is evident in the crime statistics relating to, among others, cash-in-transit heists, aggravated robbery, recovery of illegal firearms, and dismantling of clandestine laboratories. However, the Crime Intelligence Division continues to face operational challenges, most notably the allegations of corruption, political interference, and information leakage,” he said.
Cachalia further stated that evidence presented before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and the Ad Hoc Committee indicated that certain elements within the SAPS may have connections to criminal syndicates.