IT’S A COP-OUT

THE Democratic Alliance has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of a judicial commission of inquiry into explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, General Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

This comes after Ramaphosa on Sunday announced the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate serious corruption allegations made by Mkhwanazi.

“These allegations, if proven true, threaten to undermine public confidence in the ability of the South African Police Service to protect citizens and combat crime and corruption,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa’s address comes a week after Mkhwanazi publicly accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of interfering in criminal investigations and protecting corrupt networks within law enforcement.

In the interim, Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on a leave of absence and appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia as Acting Minister of Police.

Cachalia, currently a law professor and chair of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, will take up the post officially in August. 

Until then, an acting minister from within the Cabinet will serve temporarily, though the specific Cabinet member has not yet been named.

However, DA leader John Steenhuisen has warned that “commissions are only as good as their consequences”.

The party expressed concern over the culture of “talk shops, task teams, and commissions” that often yield no accountability, calling out the President for outsourcing responsibility rather than taking decisive action.

“These allegations strike at the heart of South Africa’s criminal justice system, implicating senior law enforcement, prosecutorial, intelligence, and even executive officials in organised crime and systemic corruption,” Steenhuisen said.

The DA criticised the delayed decision to place Minister Senzo Mchunu on leave, noting it only happened after “relentless DA pressure and a national outcry”. 

While the party supports the inquiry, it warned against drawn-out proceedings with no tangible outcomes.

“We will not accept a years-long process that gathered damning evidence only to deliver zero accountability,” Steenhuisen said.

Steenhuisen also stressed the importance of accountability in the wake of the committee’s findings, asserting that his party “will hold the president to account on every finding and recommendation made by this committee”.

The EFF, meanwhile, condemned Ramaphosa’s decision to place Minister Mchunu on “special leave” instead of removing him outright. 

EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said: “This so-called ‘special leave’ is a cowardly deflection, designed to shield a corrupt Minister.”

The party also accused Ramaphosa of violating the Constitution by appointing an acting Minister of Police from outside Cabinet, stating: “This decision is not only illegal, it is also a flagrant abuse of state resources.”