New crisis in Ramaphosa’s government

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces a fresh crisis within his government after a police official accused one of his ministers of interference in an investigation into political assassinations.

Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the police commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal province, stated that in March, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and senior national police officials seized dockets containing information on political killings and effectively froze the investigations.

He questioned the motives behind what he said were Mchunu’s plans to disband a task team established to look into the deaths.

“We have embarked on a process of registering a criminal investigation” into the interference and the infiltration of the national police service by a criminal syndicate that is responsible for the killings, Mkhwanazi told a media briefing on Sunday.

Mkwhanazi’s allegations will further strain the country’s ruling coalition, dominated by Ramaphosa’s African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance.

Last month, the president dismissed the nation’s deputy trade minister — a DA member — for unauthorised travel, prompting accusations by the DA that Ramaphosa has kept ministers accused of corruption in his cabinet.

The DA on Sunday demanded an urgent parliamentary debate on police corruption and urged Ramaphosa to take action against Mchunu. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party, the main opposition party, issued a statement saying that Mchunu and the implicated police officials should be arrested.

“We will, in good time, apply our minds to the allegations,” Mchunu said in remarks broadcast by News24, a Cape Town-based news website. It quoted Mchunu’s spokesman, Kamogelo Mogotsi, as saying the allegations were “wild.”

Ramaphosa will announce the actions to be taken upon his return from a BRICS summit in Brazil, which concludes tomorrow, the presidency stated in a press release.

“This is a matter of grave national security concern that is receiving the highest priority attention,” Ramaphosa said.

The ANC, expressed “grave concern” over the allegations and said it had been assured that Ramaphosa was attending to the matter.

Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on statements by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner

President Cyril Ramaphosa has noted statements made earlier today in a media briefing by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

President 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.”

“All parties to this matter are called upon to exercise discipline and restraint. 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.”

President Ramaphosa will outline the actions to be taken on this matter on his return from the BRICS Leaders’ Summit currently underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Minister of Police rejects baseless allegations by KZN Provincial Commissioner

The Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, in his capacity as a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, has been on a campaign trail this weekend in Vryheid, KZN, ahead of the by-elections on the 16th of July 2025.

The Minister has been engaging a number of community groupings, including Izinduna, community organisations and commercial farmers, discussing measures aimed at tackling the rampant crime affecting them, including stock theft.

Whilst still busy with these engagements, the Minister was made aware of today’s media briefing called by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, making a number of wild allegations and claims on a variety of issues.

The Minister of Police will never allow his integrity, that of the Ministry, or that of the SAPS at large to be undermined by insinuations made without evidence or due process, from anyone, including Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi. We will be reviewing the Provincial Commissioner’s statements and considering appropriate action.

All these statements made by him in public require an urgent, thorough and transparent investigation on a proper platform.

The Minister of Police remains committed to upholding the rule of law, ensuring accountability within the SAPS, and serving the people of South Africa with integrity.

And most importantly, the Minister remains committed to the task at hand, and that is to reduce the high murder rate, reduce high availability of illegal firearms, tackle drug trafficking and syndicates and GBV+F throughout the country, with a specific focus on the four provinces with high levels of crime, namely: KZN, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.