“The Investigative Police Directorate (IPID) must explain to the commission why it launched and then withdrew an investigation against me – and why it said it was acting on instructions from then Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and later denied this.” That is the view ofKwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who spoke exclusively to IOL this week about his reflections on the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into corruption and political interference in the police and judiciary. While a preliminary report has been submitted to the President, the commission’s probe continues – with key aspects, including IPID’s role, still under intense scrutiny. Central to the matter, Mkhwanazi says, are two IPID officials who claimed they received a complaint about him from Mchunu, prompting IPID to announce an investigation into the KZN police chief in 2025.
That investigation appears to have quietly fizzled out after a bizarre about-turn: IPID later claimed it was not prompted by the minister but by an anonymous complaint – after which the matter went cold and silent. When approached by IOL, IPID’s official response each time was simply “no further comment” or that the investigation was not complete. According to Mkhwanazi, however, events unfolded very differently.
“Those individuals must appear before the commission and explain why they signed a letter confirming they received a complaint about me from the minister at that time. The acting head of IPID then flew down to Durban with an unsigned letter, which he handed to me, saying they were withdrawing the investigation against me and that I no longer needed to provide a response. “My reputation was questioned, and since then, I have received no explanation.
[paywall]
The matter needs answers, and I’m hoping these individuals will provide them to the commission and parliament’s ad hoc committee,” Mkhwanazi explained. Asked if it would appear before the commission, IPID spokesperson, Lizzy Suping, replied: “IPID has been mentioned several times at the Commission and I think that we might be afforded an opportunity to engage on our investigative work. However, the Commission would be better placed to confirm who is on their witness list.” The role of IPID – the police watchdog – has come under heavy scrutiny amid allegations that it has been captured bycontroversial private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, who is currently locked in a defamation lawsuit with Mkhwanazi.
[/paywall]
