The blurred lines of justice: Police Leadership Must Come Clean

Dr. Reneva Fourie

On July 6, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KwaZulu-Natal’s Provincial Commissioner of Police, delivered a press briefing that shook South Africa’s already fragile faith in its criminal justice system. Standing before the cameras in full tactical gear, flanked by armed and masked officers, Mkhwanazi cut a figure reflective of the apartheid-era force rather than the democratic-era police service.

The militarised display was powerful, evoking a demand for action amongst South Africans. The earlier gang-related bloodshed in Mitchell’s Plain, Western Cape, was significantly overshadowed and President Ramaphosa was forced to leave a BRICS summit, which included discussions on the volatile geopolitical situation and measures to counter the crippling tariffs imposed by Trump.

Mkhwanazi laid out serious and specific allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, accusing him of direct political interference in police operations. He claimed that Mchunu had acted to undermine a task team investigating political assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly when that team extended its work into Gauteng and unearthed evidence linking drug cartels to politicians, senior law enforcement officers and even members of the prosecution service.

According to Mkhwanazi, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, removed over one hundred dockets from active investigation, including cases that were prosecution-ready. These dockets, he said, were frozen at police headquarters and deliberately kept from progressing to court. He also accused Brown Mokgotsi, reportedly close to Minister Mchunu, of improperly accessing sensitive information. In an extraordinary move, Mkhwanazi laid criminal charges against the minister the very next day. Mkhwanazi’s statement did not just expose dysfunction. It accused the political leadership of actively engineering that dysfunction.

Minister Mchunu has denied the allegations. His allies have pointed to the political motivations behind the timing and suggested that this may be an attempt to undermine his credibility as speculation swirls about his future as a potential presidential candidate. Lieutenant General Sibiya, who unfortunately has a controversial history, responded defensively. He asserted that the accusations are retaliatory and intended to destabilise him after he oversaw the arrest of those implicated in the high-profile murder of rapper Kiernan (AKA) Forbes.

The allegations occur at a time when South Africa’s police and prosecutorial institutions are under siege. Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo is out on bail for fraud and corruption. National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, according to media speculation, is facing imminent arrest. Even Mkhwanazi himself has only recently been cleared in a probe related to the 2023 arrest of a Correctional Services official.

Corruption, assassinations, abuse of power, and baseless allegations seem to be a common trend within the South African Police Service. In this environment, no one escapes suspicion. Every whistleblower risks being framed as a saboteur, and every denial sounds more like deflection than reassurance. This is the crisis. Not merely that corruption exists, but that the lines between guilt and accusation, politics and justice, have become so blurred that the public no longer knows who to trust. The rot appears systemic, and the tools for repair are themselves damaged.

The public’s response to Mkhwanazi’s dramatic stand was immediate. His appearance and message resonated with a population exhausted by impunity, weary of the inertia that greets every new scandal. His act was interpreted by many as a necessary and courageous confrontation with power. 

The fury he evoked is understandable. South Africans have had enough of commissions, reports and watching evidence in dockets that never make it to court. But frustration, however justified, cannot replace due process. And while the courage to speak out deserves acknowledgement, it must not be mistaken for proof. The credibility and basis of the allegations must be determined, and trial by media and public sentiment must be avoided. A careful, strategic, and principled approach, rooted in evidence, legality, transparency and integrity, is required.

This is why the role of constitutionally mandated bodies, such as the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and the Office of the Public Protector, is crucial. They must act, not symbolically or performatively, but with urgency and integrity. Their investigations must be independent and unambiguous. At the same time, any criminal dockets being withheld, especially those deemed prosecution-ready, must be released immediately. They do not belong to politicians or commissioners. They belong to the public and the rule of law.

If the allegations are substantiated, they demand prosecutions. Not resignations, not reshuffles, not quiet exits. If they are unfounded, then the consequences of making them must be equally clear. But either outcome must be determined through a lawful process, not through factional leaks or politicised briefings.

What is at stake here is not just the credibility of one minister or one commissioner. It is the credibility of the state itself. The South African Police Service has tens of thousands of officers who serve with honour, often at significant personal cost. However, their work is undermined daily by the perception, and often the reality, that the highest echelons of power are exempt from the law. That perception breeds cynicism, and cynicism corrodes democracy.

This moment, though fraught with complexity, presents a rare chance to restore trust. How the allegations will be addressed will set the tone for whether accountability is more than a slogan. If the relevant institutions act with transparency and integrity, it will affirm that no individual stands above the law and that democracy still holds the capacity for renewal.

Yet that outcome cannot be assumed. Public anger may elevate the problem, but real accountability depends on steady, principled work. Investigators must follow the facts wherever they lead. Prosecutors must act without fear or favour. Citizens must continue to insist on fairness, not political theatre. 

In a time when appearances often outweigh substance, the risk is that spectacle will eclipse truth. If we are to prevent that, we must rely not on headlines or optics, but on process, evidence, and a shared commitment to justice. Only then can the difference between fact and fiction remain clear.

* Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.