IPID Probes KZN Police Chief Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi for ‘Drug Arrest Interference’

• Police watchdog IPID has kickstarted its probe into claims KZN top cop Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi interfered with a senior prison official's arrest
• Searing allegations accused Mkhwanazi of meddling with the arrest of a senior official linked with operating a drug cartel at Westville prison
• While the IPID investigation was still in its infancy, the directorate said it would further engage on the matter once the probe was concluded

Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist and the Head of Current Affairs at Briefly News. He reported live from President Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents, and topics including sports at The Herald and Opera News SA over several years.

DURBAN — The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has confirmed the beginning of its investigation into the corruption allegations against KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Allegations have been abound suggesting Mkhwanazi allegedly interfered with the arrest of a senior Correctional Services official.

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Mkhwanazi corruption probe kicks off

Briefly News reported that the claims of abuse of power by KwaZulu-Natal's top sparked a scathing rebuke from the police after circulating in WhatsApp groups.

"We've noted with grave concern the malicious allegations [seeking to] character-assassinate. Police refute the vile messages. The accusations are unfounded; a baseless and cheap attempt to create instability," said KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda in response.

Mkhwanazi also vehemently defended against the apparent corruption slander — describing it as nothing other than a campaign to soil his name.

IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the incident, in which the provincial commissioner allegedly obstructed the arrest of a senior Westville prison official linked with operating a drug cartel, happened in Richards Bay in 2023.

"IPID has requested Mkhwanazi to submit a sworn statement by 19 March. [However], it should be noted that IPID's Acting Investigations Head erroneously wrote a letter to Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi, stating that the Police Minister [Senzo Mchunu] requested the investigation into him.

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"[Differently], the probe results from an anonymous public complaint. IPID's investigations remain independent and impartial in spite of receiving tip-offs and complaints from various sources," she added.

Suping said IPID would only engage on the matter once the investigation, which was still in its infancy, concluded.

Mkhwanazi slams prison system

In a related story, Briefly News reported that Mkhwanazi questioned the effectiveness of prisons in rehabilitating criminals.

Mkhwanazi notably called prisons academies of crime, saying a majority of the ruthless and violent crimes the police in the province fought were organised behind bars, where some of SA's most ruthless gangs operated.

He described one group as bloodthirsty, killing and robbing its way through.

"There are those with free access to people [on the outside] while in prison. There are many crimes organised by people in prisons already. So, it leaves the security cluster wondering how effective the prison system is in helping. More than anything, it seems it is where inmates are taught to be more brazen," he said.

Source: Briefly News