Mchunu says he is not ignoring Mkhwanazi's allegations
Mchunu addressed the allegations while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an election campaign event in Vryheid, KZN, on Sunday
FILE: Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Picture: SAPS/X
DURBAN - Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that he is not ignoring allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner, accusing him of interfering in high-profile investigations.
The province’s top cop, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, held a media briefing in Durban on Sunday, claiming that senior South African Police Service (SAPS) officials, including Mchunu and Major General Shadrack Sibiya, meddled with a task team investigating political killings in KZN.
Mchunu addressed the allegations while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an election campaign event in Vryheid, on Sunday
Mkhwanazi alleged that top officials interfered by issuing letters to disband the task team, halting crime intelligence appointments and diverting case dockets to Sibiya’s office.
Speaking to EWN, Sibiya denied the allegations, calling them false.
Mchunu said that the claims made by Mkhwanazi need to be tested through a full, transparent investigation, adding that he is taking the matter seriously.
“We have become aware of what Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi is saying. I didn’t have time to look at the TV, but there are those statements he has made. We will, in good time, apply our minds to those kinds of statements.”
Meanwhile, Mkhwanazi said that he is prepared to put his life on the line for the fight against crime, alleging that high-ranking officials are also working with drug cartels.
Mkhwanazi said that the drug cartels include a group operating in Gauteng, which imports drugs from South America through the port of Durban.
He said that KZN police have opened a criminal case against those who decided to disband the work of the political killings task team.
“We are already working with the prosecution, working on case dockets for those who decided to stop the investigation. So, we have to investigate to establish because this new administration came into office last year, this AMC that was established by the president has been in existence before the new government. Ever since the new government took over, to date there's never been a briefing given by myself, nor my management have presented the minister of police about the successes that I've presented of these political task team in this province so for the decision to disband it, we're 100 percent sure after evidence collected that it is informed by the work that they were doing in Gauteng. The work they did in Gauteng was affecting the people that are closer to our executive authority.”