KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
"We know no commissioner other than the General Mkhwanazi".
“We must protect the general!”
These are just some of the sentiments around KZN Police Commissioner, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, after his recent explosive allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
Since then, Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner, General Shadrack Sibiya, have been placed on leave, with their futures uncertain. President Cyril Ramaphosa has initiated yet another Commission of Inquiry, while bringing in Prof. Firoz Cachalia to replace Mchunu. Cachalia is coming out with guns blazing, and he hasn’t even assumed office.
All of this has left the country in a state of arrest, and citizens on the edge of their seats waiting, and I suspect we're not even sure what we're waiting for. Some might feel that nothing is going to change, and others may feel it is the reincarnation of the winds of uhuru for South Africa.
And the following, I believe, are the main issues. General Mkhwanazi blows the roof off the workings of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and gives us a glimpse of what he says is the rot, hampering the course of Justice. My concern is how the General blew the whistle, and whether he has also engaged in political interference, as he's accused Mchunu of.
I believe one of the problems is that the pursuit of Justice is being compromised when those that are bold enough to step forward and stand for the truth, are left to the wolves. Whistleblowers in this country have never been protected, at least not offered the kind of security that National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, provided to General Mkhwanazi.
But, what does this mean?
Two things come to mind. Firstly, I think General Masemola must believe that there are some grains of truth to Mkhwanazi's claims. The second is that, whether knowingly or not, General Mkhwanazi, in addressing the media with his claims, has effectively ensured that his allegations are part of the country’s dominant discourse, thereby politicising the affairs of the SAPS.
The first point may very well be debatable. On the one hand, the move to disband the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Force while Masemola was on leave, clearly showed Sibiya's belief that Masemola would never have supported the move.
Could Sibiya have overplayed his hand, and are the chickens now coming home to roost? And after learning of the disbandment, could Masemola have reacted differently?
On the other hand, whatever the case, Gen. Mkhwanazi clearly boxed Masemola in, just as he boxed in Ramaphosa, compelling him to come out in his support. Failing that support, Masemola may have given the impression that he was somehow part of the faction of rotten apples in the police. Should Gen. Mkhwanazi have been caught in the cross hairs, or axed, without Masemola's protection, then he would've been seen to be complicit, at the very least.
To the second point, though, the question of what drove Gen. Mkhwanazi to blow open the can, is one that I have been grappling with. And it leads me to only one conclusion, that the General was trying to change tactics, and level the playing field.
It appears that if we take Gen. Mkhwanazi's word, he has found his efforts stifled by the likes of Brown Mogotsi. Yet, these efforts were taking place in the political arena and far beyond the scope of his mandate and position. If the Police Ministry hampered the pursuit of Justice, what cards could Gen. Mkhwanazi have played to prevent this?
It is very likely that Gen. Mkhwanazi, again, if we take his word, was facing the axe for failing to cooperate with these efforts to stifle Justice. The question is whether Gen. Mkhwanazi believed that Masemola could sufficiently protect him from these threats. And for me, it appears that Masemola was incapable of protecting the General. At least, this is what I think Gen. Mkhwanazi must have believed. So now, both Gen. Mkhwanazi and Masemola have the sympathies of the public, proving to be the first movers, and action against them will most certainly be viewed as malicious and defeating the pursuit of Justice.
However, I think that we must also be clear that whether Gen. Mkhwanazi is right or not, he has also clearly politicised the issues. However, though, it is this very notion that leads me to believe that Gen. Mkhwanazi's claims have more than just a grain of truth.
His move to politicise the internal turmoil in the police clearly indicates the danger of the forces he must have been dealing with, and the inability to address them in his capacity as KZN Police Commissioner, thus calling for more drastic measures.
Suffice to say, whatever else is going on, KZN Provincial Commissioner, General Mkhwanazi, has granted the nation a breath of fresh air, and given the administration an opportunity to stand for Justice in a country riddled with, and crippled by, lawlessness and moral decay.
By Smangaliso Mkhuma, holds a MA in Philosophy from Wits University.
- The information contained in the article posted represents the views and opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of eNCA.com.