General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Brings a Smile to Julius Malema’s Face With His Non-political Stance
- Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi shared his thoughts about whether he would take up a career in politics
- The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner noted that he's never joined a party and didn't support a particular football team
- Julius Malema previously offered Mkhwanazi a space at the Economic Freedom Fighters if he were ever fired
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
WESTERN CAPE – Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi left Julius Malema with a smile on his face with his statement about not being a politician.
The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner was testifying during his appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on 7 October 2025 when he commented about not being interested in becoming a politician.
Evidence leader Norman Arendse noted that Bheki Cele once described Mkhwanazi as a great cop, but not a politician, to which Mkhwanazi replied that it was never his dream to be a politician.
Mkhwanazi leaves Malema with a smile on his face
KZN’s top cop then explained that he doesn’t wear the t-shirt of any political party and even struggles to wear a t-shirt of a soccer club. He added that he knew a lot of people in the political space, but it was not his space.
“There was an invitation by some of the members that I should join, but I’ll gladly decline because that’s not me,” Mkhwanazi said.
Why did Malema smile at the statement?
The statement drew a smile from the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), because he previously asked Mkhwanazi to join his party. Malema made the offer to KZN’s top cop in July 2025 after Mkhwanazi’s explosive press briefing.
“We say to Mkhwanazi, do not be shaken. Because if they fire you, there's a position for you in the EFF so we can continue to fight corruption in SA,” Malema said at the time.
Source: Briefly News
