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1 month ago
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President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation on Sunday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will respond to the explosive allegations of political interference and police complicity in crime in an address to the nation on Sunday night.
The Presidency announced on Thursday that the president has been seized with the matter in recent days and will, following various consultations, take the nation into his confidence at 19:00 on Sunday.
Mkhwanazi accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of ties to crime syndicates and interfering with police investigations, including in the dismantling of the police’s Political Killings Task Team.
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Mkhwanazi detailed the work of the task team and revealed evidence allegedly linking Mchunu to businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, who was arrested in May for attempted murder.
Mkhwanazi explained that the task team was established in 2018 by Ramaphosa following a surge in political assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal.
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The multidisciplinary unit, comprising the SA Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority, and State Security, had investigated 612 cases, leading to 436 arrests and the recovery of 156 firearms, 55 of which were ballistically linked to political killings.
Mkhwanazi claimed the team’s disbandment in December 2024 was influenced by its investigation into a criminal syndicate in Gauteng, one allegedly connected to high-ranking officials.
Mkhwanazi presented WhatsApp exchanges extracted from Matlala’s phone, which purportedly show communication between the businessman and an associate of Mchunu’s.
Mkhwanazi alleged that Matlala financially supported Mchunu’s political activities, citing proof of payments for travel expenses and a gala dinner in Cape Town. Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of obstructing the task team’s work, particularly after it linked firearms recovered in Gauteng to multiple high-profile murders. He alleged that senior police officials were dispatched to disrupt an operation targeting the syndicate.
READ | Cellphone seized from Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala could lead to broader network - expert
Mkhwanazi also alleged that the police’s deputy national commissioner for crime detection, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, obstructed justice, stalled investigations into political assassinations and organised crime, and shielded politically connected suspects by taking control of more than 100 related dockets.
Both Sibiya and Mchunu have denied Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
Ramaphosa was attending the BRICS Summit in Brazil when Mkhwanazi outlined the allegations at a media briefing on Sunday.
At the time, Ramaphosa said:
This is a matter of grave national security concern that is receiving the highest priority attention. It is vital that the integrity of the country’s security services is safeguarded and that the rule of law is affirmed.
Ramaphosa called on all the parties implicated in the matter to exercise discipline and restraint, saying the trading of accusations and counter-accusations threatens to undermine public confidence and sow confusion.
“Furthermore, these actions damage the unity and focus of the police.”
A number of political parties and other organisations have called on Ramaphosa to fire Mchunu or to establish an inquiry to investigate Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
