Cape Town – KwaZulu-Natal police have dismissed allegations of corruption and abuse of power against Provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as baseless and malicious.
The allegations, including claims of interfering in the arrest of a senior correctional services official involved in a drug cartel, have circulated via WhatsApp messages, reports said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda described the accusations as a smear campaign aimed at destabilising the police force and undermining its recent successes in combating organised crime.
He challenged anyone with credible evidence against Mkhwanazi to open a formal case rather than resorting to public character assassination.
Please, leave Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alone. He is by the far one of the best police officers in our country. https://t.co/A4krM8P3EE
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) January 26, 2025
“These poorly plotted allegations, whose aim is to create enmity between Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi and his seniors as well as colleagues in the province, will never hold any water. Police in the province will keep on tightening the grip on criminals and in a true meaning of ‘kicking the dog until the owner comes out’, those implicated or affected by the good work that the police are doing will eventually reveal their identities and will stop at nothing to derail the focus of police in KwaZulu-Natal, and their first point of attack is clearly character assassination of the Provincial Commissioner,” Netshiunda said in a statement.
He added: “Police in KwaZulu-Natal are challenging anyone who has any incriminating evidence against the Provincial Commissioner to open a case so that the Provincial Commissioner, just like any other citizen, may have his day in court, not for his name to be dragged into social kangaroo courts of public opinion.
“These kind of push backs were not unexpected, due to the public’s appreciation of the work of the police in KwaZulu-Natal and the subsequent social media praise of the Provincial Commissioner which certainly angered certain people. No matter the damaging allegations, police in KwaZulu-Natal remain resolute in the fight against crime. Police in KwaZulu-Natal are not fooled into believing that this is a personal attack to the Provincial Commissioner.”
Netshiunda said that these allegations are attempts to create distrust within the police force and derail its efforts to fight crime in the province.
“The aim of whoever is behind the mischievous allegations is to plant a seed of distrust between various levels of police management in the province, and weaken the teams on the ground.”
Mkhwanazi himself urged police officers to stay focused on their mandate, ignoring baseless claims, and continuing to ensure the safety of KwaZulu-Natal residents.
“These are challenging times that follow a period of great successes. Having failed on all fronts when they accused us of being trigger-happy, they have now directed their fight to individuals.
“I remain focused on my job and encourage all police officers to do the same. Together we have been entrusted with keeping the residents of KwaZulu-Natal safe and protect their property. We were trained to ignore empty threats, baseless accusation and no amount of untruths perpetrated against us will force us to take the foot off the pedal,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
