Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans that government is hard at work to safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of the police service. The President made these remarks in his weekly newsletter to the nation, just a day after announcing the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate serious allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
According to South African Government News Agency, the commission, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, will investigate allegations made by General Mkhwanazi that the Minister of Police and others had colluded to interfere with police investigations. The inquiry will also delve into claims regarding the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence, and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates.
Among the allegations that the commission may investigate are the facilitation of organised crime, suppression or manipulatio
n of investigations, inducement into criminal actions by law enforcement leadership, commission of any other criminal offences, and intimidation or victimisation of whistleblowers or officials resisting criminal influence.
The President highlighted that the commission will focus on the role of current or former senior officials in certain institutions who may have aided or abetted the alleged criminal activity, failed to act on credible intelligence or internal warnings, or benefited financially or politically from a syndicate’s operations. Institutions under scrutiny include the South African Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority, State Security Agency, the Judiciary and Magistracy, and the metropolitan police departments of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and Tshwane.
The commission will also investigate whether any members of the National Executive responsible for the criminal justice system were complicit, aided, and abetted, or participated in the acts mentioned. It is tasked with reporting on the e
ffectiveness or failure of oversight mechanisms and the adequacy of current legislation, policies, and institutional arrangements in preventing such infiltration.
Once established, the commission shall consider prima facie evidence relating to the involvement of individuals currently employed within law enforcement or intelligence agencies. Where appropriate, it must make recommendations on the employment status of such officials, including whether they should be suspended pending the outcome of further investigations. The commission will also be empowered to refer matters for immediate criminal investigation and urgent decisions on prosecution.
In order for the commission to execute its functions effectively, President Ramaphosa decided to put the Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu on a leave of absence with immediate effect. The Minister has committed to fully cooperating with the commission. Professor Firoz Cachalia, a professor of law at the University of the Witwatersrand and chairperson of the National A
nti-Corruption Advisory Council, has been appointed as the Acting Minister of Police.
President Ramaphosa emphasised the establishment of the commission against the backdrop of significant progress in rebuilding and strengthening the country’s law enforcement agencies and security services. Recent efforts by the South African Police Service, the Special Investigating Unit, the Asset Forfeiture Unit, and other bodies have made important inroads in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
The President called on all members of the law enforcement agencies and security services to remain steadfast in upholding the rule of law and adhering to their code of conduct. He encouraged South Africans to support the commission in its work and to provide any information or assistance it may require.