KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has said the police are “facing a war” after intelligence allegedly warned that the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) wanted to arrest him and Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo within 48 hours.
Mkhwanazi arrived at the Brooklyn Police Station after Khumalo informed him that he had received a call to report there, a development Mkhwanazi said appeared to confirm intelligence received the previous day.
‘I wanted to see for myself’
He told media outside the police station that he went to the station to see the situation for himself and to make it easier if IDAC was also looking for him.
“Well, I wanted to see for myself what was unfolding here today, simply because yesterday we received intelligence,” Mkhwanazi said.
“The intelligence was that IDAC had given itself 48 hours to bring General Khumalo and me to the cells.”
Mkhwanazi said he had not initially believed the intelligence but changed his mind after Khumalo called him on the day and said it appeared to be unfolding.
“I thought, okay, let me come here and see if I can see it myself,” he said.
“I thought if indeed it is true, then perhaps they might also be looking for me, so I might as well be close by to make it easy.”
Police structures, IDAC ‘in dangerous conflict’
His remarks lift the matter from a narrow legal dispute about possible warrants into a dramatic confrontation between powerful law-enforcement figures, with Mkhwanazi suggesting that police structures and IDAC are now locked in a dangerous conflict.
He said the intelligence also alleged there was panic within IDAC over claims that warrants had been secured against IDAC leaders.
Mkhwanazi denied that police had secured such warrants.
“We do not issue warrants of arrest. We work with prosecutors and lawyers if there is anything,” he said.
“But there is nothing. There is nothing that we are investigating that involves them.”
Mkhwanazi said he first heard the claim earlier in the week when a friend from Durban called him, but he dismissed it.
He said the matter became serious only when Khumalo reported receiving a call to come to the police station.
According to Mkhwanazi, Khumalo and Maj Gen Nosipho Madondo later received calls telling them not to come anymore.
“They got phone calls to come to the police station, and an hour later they got phone calls not to come because of some intervention from some senior people somewhere,” he said.
“It is quite interesting. The question is: is this how justice is served?”
‘We are facing a war’
Asked whether the incident supported his earlier claims that IDAC had been weaponised against certain police officials, Mkhwanazi gave one of his sharpest answers.
“We are facing a war. That is all I can say. We are facing a war and there are many players in this game,” he said.
Mkhwanazi also linked the tension to earlier clashes involving police work around Mr Adams and Mr Matlala – referring to the attempted murder-accused businessman Vusi “Cat” Matlala and the National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams.
“When we arrested Mr Adams, you know what happened and how IDAC responded to that,” he said.
“We took Mr Matlala to prison. Everyone knows. A year later, IDAC went to prison to charge him without talking to us. He is sitting in custody because of the police, but IDAC is owning him now.”
He said such conduct risked creating unnecessary conflict between law enforcement structures.
Asked whether the incident could have been sparked by claims that police were on the brink of arresting at least three IDAC officials, Mkhwanazi said he suspected it may be connected.
“I suspect that is because that is how the information came to us earlier in the week and was confirmed yesterday,” he said.
He insisted, however, that police would not go public if they were planning to arrest anyone in a legal structure.
“We are going to follow the law and do it professionally,” he said.
‘We won’t be distracted’
Mkhwanazi said police would continue with their work and would not be distracted by the incident.
He said the police were not claiming immunity from investigation, but any process had to be handled properly.
“If there are things we did wrong, by all means, investigate. But it has to be executed properly,” he said.
He said the calls allegedly made to the generals were on record and could be checked.
“The calls were made: come here. The calls were made again: do not come anymore,” he said.
Asked whether IDAC was being vindictive, Mkhwanazi stopped short of saying so.
“I would not say that,” he said. “To me, it seems like officials were carrying out that which they were supposed to do from IDAC, but they were stopped. Who stopped them and why were they stopped?”
He said South Africans should not forget what he had previously said publicly about the “players” involved.
“I have presented a sketch that has got some players in the game,” he said.
“I want South Africans not to forget that sketch – that there are players everywhere.”
- KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has said the police are “facing a war” after intelligence allegedly warned that the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) wanted to arrest him and Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo within 48 hours.
- Mkhwanazi arrived at the Brooklyn Police Station after Khumalo informed him that he had received a call to report there, a development Mkhwanazi said appeared to confirm intelligence received the previous day.
- ‘I wanted to see for myself’ He told media outside the police station that he went to the station to see the situation for himself and to make it easier if IDAC was also looking for him.
- “Well, I wanted to see for myself what was unfolding here today, simply because yesterday we received intelligence,” Mkhwanazi said.
- “The intelligence was that IDAC had given itself 48 hours to bring General Khumalo and me to the cells.” Mkhwanazi said he had not initially believed the intelligence but changed his mind after Khumalo called him on the day and said it appeared to be unfolding.
