PRETORIA - The National Press Club has named KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi its 2025 Newsmaker of the Year.
During his acceptance speech on Friday evening, Mkhwanazi said he received this recognition with humility, but with caution.
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This, he said, is because the work of a police officer should not be driven by applause, headlines or awards, but by the service to the people of South Africa.
“As a disciplined police officer, I took an oath many years ago. An oath to uphold the Constitution of the Republic. To protect the citizens of this country, and to defend the rule of law without fear and any favour.
“The oath does not change depending on your political convenience. It doesn't change depending on the media pressure. And it doesn't change because of public opinion. It also doesn't change because of your personal consequence. Therefore, these awards that I receive this evening must not be misunderstood,” he said.
During his speech, Mkhwanazi reflected on his explosive July 6 media briefing, which sent shockwaves across the justice system.
Dressed in full military uniform at the time, Mkwanazi claimed there was political interference in police investigations and questioned the decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team.
He also claimed to have evidence of police involvement in high-profile crime syndicates.
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He said the rot runs deep, with law enforcement officers and high-ranking politicians, aiding and abetting drug cartels, especially in Gauteng.
It was these allegations that prompted the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry as well as Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee.
Addressing guests at Friday’s ceremony, Mkhwanazi said his actions were never motivated by fame or to campaign, but it was an act of duty.
“It is an act that we performed because of the love for the country. South Africa, our country,” he said.
Mkhwanazi warned that South Africa is at a crossroads if institutions fear the truth.
“South Africa enters a very dangerous territory. We cannot continue to normalize corruption. We shouldn't continue to protect and co-protect in the name of public service.
“We cannot continue to romanticize criminality while our citizens live behind barbed wire. When business collapses because of extortion. When communities suffer because of the crime. And the public trust in institutions continues to erode. The truth is painful,” he said.
He added that a capable state cannot co-exist with compromised institutions and that the process of renewal cannot selectively target certain sectors of society while others remain untouched.
“The spring cleaning that we are currently experiencing within the criminal justice system must cut across all sectors of our society.”