South Africa's Madlanga Commission so far: An alleged drug cartel and a murdered witness

An alleged drug cartel and a murdered witness: South Africa's police corruption probe

6 minutes ago Share Save Khanyisile Ngcobo Johannesburg Share Save

Gallo Images via Getty Images Senzo Mchunu was suspended as police minister after corruption allegations emerged about him, which he denies

South Africans have long suspected corruption and political interference were at work in the police force but in the past few months allegations appearing to confirm this have been aired in two public inquiries. President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently digesting the contents of an interim report from a commission he established to investigate illegality within the police. It was set up after senior police officer Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged in July that organised crime groups had infiltrated the government. His dramatic intervention led to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu being put on special leave. Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi, who heads up the police in KwaZulu-Natal province, claimed that Mchunu had ties to crime kingpins and this was why he shut down an elite unit investigating political murders. Mchunu, a senior member of Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) and a close ally of the president, has denied any wrongdoing. But to investigate the allegations, Ramaphosa asked retired Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga to head up a public inquiry. Parliament in Cape Town set up its own panel to investigate the matter. "As I see it now, this is terrorism," Gen Mkhwanazi said appearing as the Madlanga Commission's first witness in September.