Following a complaint to parliament’s ethics committee, the DA filed criminal charges on Thursday against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu at the Cape Town Central Police Station.
Baxolile Nodada, the DA deputy chief whip who led the party delegation, emphasised that deceiving the public and violating constitutional obligations are illegal offences.
Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, made allegations on Sunday that led to the DA opening the case.
Nodada said that Mchunu’s admission of knowing Brown Mogotsi as a comrade after initially denying knowing him during the police portfolio committee on March 5 is contradictory.
Mogotsi is a businessman from the North West who is allegedly politically involved in police operations.
Nodada said that Mchunu has been presenting false information on this issue.
“We have to take action on that because it is a clear violation of the law. The allegations that are laid beyond that will be investigated by the prosecutor,” said Nodada.
DA pushes for debate in parliament
Ian Cameron, the DA’s police spokesperson, also wrote to Thoko Didiza, the Speaker of the National Assembly, asking for an immediate discussion on the damning accusations made against Mchunu.
He said that the debate would focus on the purported corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The SAPS, according to Cameron, requires rigorous and comprehensive integrity management to effectively combat violent crime and ensure safe streets in South Africa.
These disturbing allegations of corruption, political interference, and malfeasance at the top of South Africa’s law enforcement and national security infrastructure must be investigated immediately, he said.
“It is deeply harrowing to hear of reports by the provincial commissioner of alleged political and criminal interference within the SAPS’ police killings task team,” said Cameron.
Defeating the course of justice
Meanwhile, Mchunu and deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya are the targets of a case that the uMkhonto weSizwe Party has opened against them, according to Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the national spokesperson for the party.
Ndhlela stated that the charges against Mchunu include obstructing and defeating the course of justice, abusing power, and engaging in a criminal conspiracy to undermine lawful investigations.
The MK Party also accuses the police minister of using intimidation to illegally order the disbandment of the political killings task team.
Sibiya is accused of a number of offences, including unlawfully rerouting case dockets, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice.
“Collectively, these charges point to a deliberate and coordinated attempt to obstruct justice and undermine accountability within the structures of law enforcement.
“As public representatives, the MK Party has the responsibility to ensure that those who act in contempt of the law are held to account,” said Ndhlela.
