In a revelation that could shake the foundations of South Africa’s justice system, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has alleged that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was politically supported by none other than a suspected hitman and alleged crime boss, businessman Vusumuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Speaking at a tense press briefing, Mkhwanazi detailed a troubling sequence of events: on January 1, 2025, Brown Mogotsi—a close associate of Mchunu—allegedly messaged Matlala to report that he had met with the minister and Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. The outcome? The dissolution of the Political Killings Task Team, which had been investigating politically linked assassinations and was reportedly closing in on Matlala.
Even more alarming, Mkhwanazi claims that in March 2025, 121 case dockets were abruptly withdrawn on direct instruction from Mchunu himself, effectively derailing multiple murder and conspiracy investigations. This unprecedented interference has triggered fears of a state-protected criminal network operating at the highest levels of power.
The commissioner didn’t stop there. He presented forensic evidence including WhatsApp conversations and financial records allegedly proving that Matlala financed Mchunu and Mogotsi’s political activities—including a high-profile gala dinner in Cape Town on January 8, 2025. These payments, Mkhwanazi claims, were not random gifts but calculated investments in political protection.
Both Mchunu and Sibiya have categorically denied the allegations, with the minister calling them “baseless.” But with mounting calls for independent investigations and political accountability, this latest twist may be impossible to ignore.
Mkhwanazi’s disclosures have escalated what was already a seismic political scandal into something far more dangerous: an allegation that hitmen, politicians, and police leaders may have conspired to silence justice for personal and political gain.
As South Africans digest these developments, one question looms large: How deep does the rot go—and who, if anyone, will face the consequences?
