Cape Town – KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has delivered explosive testimony before a Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee, accusing Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, currently on special leave, of repeatedly lying about his relationship with controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi.
Mkhwanazi, giving evidence on Tuesday, made the allegations while the committee investigates claims he made on July 6, raising serious concerns about state security. He told the committee that the relationship between Mchunu and Mogotsi was unethical.
At the heart of Mkhwanazi's testimony is the assertion that Mchunu has repeatedly misled Parliament about his association with Mogotsi, initially denying any significant connection before later referring to him as a "comrade." However, the ANC has publicly disavowed Mogotsi, stating that he is not a member of the party.
"Minister Mchunu claiming that this man is a comrade and a political party concerned says he is not a comrade. That means the conclusion we must throw is that this is not a comrade. He is a criminal that the minister has invited to be part of the police. Minister lied when he said he is a comrade," Mkhwanazi stated emphatically.
According to Mkhwanazi, the relationship between Mchunu and Mogotsi extends far beyond a casual acquaintance. He testified that Mogotsi has been actively involved in Mchunu's political and governance affairs. Mkhwanazi said that he would not have been aware of Mogotsi if Mogotsi had not introduced himself to Mkhwanazi in September 2024.
Mkhwanazi detailed specific instances of Mogotsi's alleged involvement, stating, "I said, when you say comrade I assume it’s a colleague in the political party. And this is a person he communicates with December, January. There’s a January 8 gathering of that party in Cape Town. Mogotsi is facilitating the guest of the minister for Matlala to pay for them to come to attend this thing."
He continued, "They are here, he is here, everybody is here. They are having meetings in some hotels that we already know of where they are sitting and having lunch during the period of January this year."
Mkhwanazi further alleged that Mogotsi had access to highly sensitive police information, including details about Mchunu's diary and official movements, despite holding no official government position.
"He knows the calendar, the diary of the minister that on this day he is on his way to Lusikisiki. It’s a person that is quite knowledgeable. And this person is not in government as a colleague to the minister. And this person is not in the political party. Of which his own political party disowned him recently that he is not a member," Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi also drew attention to Mogotsi's alleged role in Mchunu's past political campaigns. "The records that we have in our possession is the role that this Mogotsi was playing in the political campaign of the very same minister in the past. The communications that time when they were busy fighting for positions back then. Up to the conference of this political party. But we have these records with us because it is an intelligence work we must do. The exchange of monies and the likes is available within intelligence."
He added, "It’s one of the things I was questioning about that pushed these members to talk. The police have that information, it’s there. But we don’t want it to go out because it is a secret of the state that will cause fire," he told the committee.
Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of dishonesty and of enabling a criminal to operate within government and police structures. He warned that some of the intelligence material is too sensitive to make public. The Ad Hoc Committee is expected to continue its investigation, and Mkhwanazi's testimony has undoubtedly added significant weight to the allegations against Minister Mchunu. The outcome of the investigation could have serious implications for Mchunu's political future and the integrity of the police force.
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