Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has broken his silence since he was placed on a leave of absence on Sunday by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mchunu was taking part in a Mandela Day event in Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal under the banner of the ANC.
He briefly spoke to the media about his leave of absence following allegations by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi over a week ago.
Mkhwanazi alleged at the time that Mchunu had links to tainted figures and was politically interfering in the work of the police.
Mchunu backs commission of inquiry
Unfazed, Mchunu implied that it was unfair for him to be judged on the allegations without being afforded the opportunity to tell his side of the story.
“The day South Africa allows one person to suspect another person, investigate, become a prosecutor and a judge, and issue a verdict will be the reversal of what the struggle for justice is about, and that will be the end of all of us in the country,” Mchunu told the media.
He said that it would be fair to wait for the commission to investigate Mkhwanazi’s allegations and for everyone to get a chance to be heard.
“The system of justice allows anyone who wants to make allegations against another person to do so. But [you must] allow those you are accusing to defend themselves.
“It is fair to wait for the commission to deliberate. It is for this reason that I support the president [Ramaphosa], who decided on the establishment of the commission of inquiry,” said Mchunu.
Mkhwanazi takes part in Mandela Day
Meanwhile, Mkhwanazi made his first public appearance two weeks after he set the cat among the pigeons. The minister attended the Mandela Day event in Isiphingo in the south of Durban.
The purpose of the event was to revamp the SA Police Service’s (SAPS) vehicle pound after it was damaged by the floods in April 2022.
Mkhwanazi took part in the painting of the facility.
The KwaZulu-Natal police boss’ visit was kept away from the media, and the communications department of the SAPS only issued a brief statement and pictures after he had left the area.
