General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Addresses the Big 5 Criminal Cartel

General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Addresses the Big 5 Criminal Cartel

  • The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, discussed the Big 5 criminal cartels of Gauteng
  • The cartels were initially mentioned when crime intelligence boss General Dumisani Khumalo testified about them at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry
  • Mkhwanazi testified at the Ad Hoc Committee in Parliament established to investigate the allegations he made during his 6 July press briefing

With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi discussed the Big 5 criminal cartels
General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said that the top cartels include more tenderpreneurs. Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

PARLIAMENT, WESTERN CAPE — The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testified about the Big 5 criminal cartel that crime intelligence boss General Dumisani Khumalo testified about at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

Mkhwanazi testified on 8 October 2025 in Parliament in Cape Town. Mkhwanazi was the first witness to appear before the Ad Hoc Committee established to investigate the alleged infiltration of the criminal justice system.

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In a clip News Live SA posted on its @newslivesa X account, Mkhwanazi said he could only speak of the Big 5 criminal cartel bosses who have been arrested. He referred to attempted murder-accused Vusimuzi Matlala and murder-accused Katiso Molefe. Both tendepreneurs are reportedly the heads of two of the Big 5 cartels.

Mkhwanazi said that the remaining three members of the Big 5 are known tendepreneurs. He did not divulge their identities. He said the three members regularly receive tenders from the government.

View the X video here:

A look at the Ad Hoc Committee

The Ad Hoc Committee was formed in July after General Mkhwanazi held his explosive press briefing on 6 July. During the press briefing, Mkhwanazi alleged that a criminal cartel had infiltrated the criminal justice system. He alleged that it recruited police members, members of the judiciary, politicians, businessmen, and prosecutors.

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Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Image: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

What you need to know about the Ad Hoc Committee

Mkhwanazi opens case against General Sibiya

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Mkhwanazi informed the Ad Hoc Committee that he opened a case against suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya. He made the revelation on 7 October 2025.

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General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accuses Senzo Mchunu of deliberately destroying evidence

Mkhwanazi said that he asked National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola if he authorised the removal of the 121 dockets from the Political Killings Task Team. When Masemola said no, he asked him to provide him with a statement under oath.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tebogo Mokwena avatar

Tebogo Mokwena (Current Affairs editor) Tebogo Mokwena is the Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk and a current affairs writer at Briefly News. With a Diploma in Journalism from ALISON, he has a strong background in digital journalism, having completed training with the Google News Initiative. He began his career as a journalist at Daily Sun, where he worked for four years before becoming a sub-editor and journalist at Capricorn Post. He then joined Vutivi Business News in 2020 before moving to Briefly News in 2023.