Allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on July 6, 2025, implicating senior political figures and members of the South African Police Service, have prompted the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) to call for the mobilisation of “an independent body” to investigate the “allegations as well as broader issues around police leadership and performance.”
In a Thursday, July 10, 2025, statement, the SACBC expressed growing alarm that Lt‑Gen Mkhwanazi’s revelations would worsen the already fragile public trust, as “For far too long, confidence in the Police Force and other law enforcement agencies has been severely undermined by allegations of grave corruption, toxic work environments, lack of accountability and political factionalism.”
“The allegations raised by Lt Gen Mkhwanazi will deepen the layers of negativity around police work, its wider human‑rights culture, and its ultimate efficacy. It is imperative that the issues he raised be afforded immediate and impartial attention,” say the bishops in the statement signed by the SACBC President, Cardinal Stephen Brislin.
In the July 10 statement, the Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa emphasised that airing such explosive allegations publicly is “deeply unsettling” and poses national security risks.
“We have not heard all sides of this contentious issue as yet and we need to respect that. At the same time, the very airing of the allegations in public is deeply unsettling and from several angles, a matter of national security,” say the bishops.
On July 6, 2025, LT Gen Mkhwanazi, during a press briefing, accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of orchestrating the disbandment of the elite Political Killings Task Team and obstructing investigations into corruption and crime syndicates targeting artists and politicians. He also alleged interference by Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, sparked by evidence suggesting collusion between politicians, police, prosecutors, and business figures.
The bishops call for immediate and impartial investigations into the claims, urging President Cyril Ramaphosa and relevant authorities to take decisive action to uphold the rule of law. They further recommended the establishment of an independent body to investigate both the current allegations and broader systemic issues within the leadership structures of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“In the light of the seriousness of these allegations and for the integrity of the police force and confidence in its work, it is of the very highest importance that the President and those concerned take urgent and definitive action to investigate the allegations, bring to book those who have broken the law, transgressed the rule of law and undermined the public’s confidence in the police force,” say the Bishops.
They add, “Furthermore, it is of the utmost importance that an independent body be mobilised immediately to investigate these allegations as well as broader issues around police leadership and performance.”
In response to the calls from various faith based leaders including the South African Council of Churches (SACC) and several civil society groups and opposition parties, the Presidency announced on Thursday, July 10, 2025 that President Ramaphosa will on Sunday, 13 July 2025, address the nation “on developments arising from a public statement by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that details allegations against senior political and South African Police Service leadership.”
