President Cyril Ramaphosa Places Senzo Mchunu on Special Leave and Establishes Commission of Inquiry

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu on special leave
• He addressed the nation during a family meeting and announced the steps that would be taken to address General Nhlnhla Mkhwanazi's allegations
• He also said that a commission of inquiry has been established and announced Mchunu's replacement

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliamentary Proceedings, and politician-related news, as well as elections, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

PRETORIA — South Africans were not happy after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on 13 July 2025 that he had placed Senzo Mchunu on special leave after KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's allegations against him.

What did Ramaphosa say?

Addressing the nation during his family meeting, Ramaphosa said that Mchunu, whom Mkhwanazi accused of interfering with the work of the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal, will be replaced by Professor Firoz Cachalia as the acting Minister of Police. Ramaphosa also said that a commission of inquiry will be established to investigate the allegations Mkhwanazi made.

The acting deputy chief justice, Mbuyiseni Madlanga, will head Ramaphosa's Judicial Commission Inquiry into the allegations Mkhwaanzi made. Mkhwanazi said that politicians, high-ranking police officers, ministers, judges, and prosecutors are involved in a vast drug syndicate spanning the entire nation.

Who is Firoz Cachalia?

Cachalia is a law professor at the University of the Witwatersrand. He served as the MEC of Community Safety under Gauteng's former premier, Mbhazima Shilowa, in 2004. He also served as the MEC of Economic Development in 2009 and occupied that position until the following year.

Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of being in collusion with the Deputy National Commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya to disband the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Force in 2024. He also accused Mchunu of working with an alleged syndicate member, Brown Mogotsi.

What you need to know about Mchunu and Mkhwanazi

• Mchunu initially responded to Mkhwanazi's allegations and denied them, accusing Mkhwanazi of trying to attack his integrity
• However, he later admitted that he knew Mogotsi and said Mogotsi was a comrade of his
• The Democratic Alliance opened a criminal case against Mchunu after Mkhwanaai made the allegations
• The Public Protector has launched a formal investigation against Mchunu as the public pressure for action against him grew
• This was after the African Transformation Movement approached the Public Protector and called for a probe into Mchunu

Brown Mogotsi weighs in on allegations

In s related article, Briefly News reported that Brown Mogotsi, the businessman linked to Mchunu, has spoken up. He denied the allegations against him and said that he would give his side of the story in due time.

Mkhwanazi said that Mogotsi sent him WhatsApp messages with information that only a police officer should have access to. Mogotsi said that Mkhwanazi's revelations were inappropriately timed. South Africans were irritated by his responses.

Source: Briefly News