News24 | UPDATE | ANC grants Mchunu special leave to step away from political duties

The ANC has granted Senzo Mchunu a special leave of absence from party work.

• The ANC has granted suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu special leave after his request to step away from political responsibilities, as confirmed by party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
• Mchunu, implicated in corruption investigations, initially stepped aside voluntarily to address allegations, including ties to criminal figures, which led to the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team.
• Mbalula stated the ANC welcomed Mchunu’s decision, allowing him to focus on clarifying his role in the Madlanga Commission and a parliamentary ad hoc investigation into police corruption.

The ANC has granted suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu special leave, at his request, to step away from his political party responsibilities, the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, announced at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Mchunu, a member of the national executive committee (NEC), had previously requested to be excused from his political duties, but the ANC declined.

On Tuesday, Mbalula said the party had considered that the ongoing Madlanga Commission into corruption in South Africa’s criminal justice system would take up Mchunu’s time.

Mchunu is central to the ongoing probe at the commission and the parliamentary ad hoc committee established to investigate police corruption.

He was outed by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner general Nhlanhla Mkwanazi.

The allegations around Mchunu include that he is in the pocket of criminal underworld figures, which led to his decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team.

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Mbalula said the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) recommended that Mchunu’s request for special leave from the activities of the NEC and the NWC be granted.

“The ANC guidelines and procedures: implementation of national conference resolutions on ANC credibility and integrity: dealing with corruption and on fighting crime and corruption were adopted by the national executive committee on 13 and 14 February 2021 and amended at the special national executive committee meeting on 24 and 25 April 2022,” he added.

Mbalula said paragraph 3.1.1 provided that “a member, office bearer, or public representative, who has been indicted to appear in a court of law on a charge of corruption or other serious crime must immediately step aside, pending the finalisation of her or his case”.

“However, this does not mean that he or any other member who is alleged to be involved in corrupt activities cannot voluntarily step aside or take special leave.”

He added that the ANC welcomed Mchunu’s emphasis that he understood “that people are feeling the trauma of crime and corruption in the country”.

Last week, the ANC said Mchunu had sought to step away from his responsibilities.

Asked why the party had acceded to his request to step away, Mbalula said the ANC was not where it had been last week.

“With regard to step aside, we explained to him that he must work as a member of the NEC and that he had voluntarily decided to step aside.

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“We’ve got two processes in the country, an [ad hoc] committee and Madlanga, and in the terms of reference, the name of comrade Senzo arises there, and so there are a lot of things that are said about him that need his clarity and for him to engage with those issues without any due pressure and prejudice.”

He said the ANC was dealing with practical issues.

“Now, as an organisation … when a member is faced with such a situation and that member has voluntarily taken a decision that maybe wouldn’t take like what comrade Senzo had done, you grant them that request and then that’s what we have done.

“This is so that he has no burden on himself and the ANC as he deals with these allegations,” Mbalula added.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information.