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 during his testimony.
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. The committee was holding hearings into Mkhwanazi's allegations made during an explosive press briefing.
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.
Source: Getty Images
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.
The matter was raised again on 8 October 2025, when Khusela Sangoni from the African National Congress (ANC) recalled that Mkhwanazi mentioned he was approached by a political party, asking which party that was.
Mkhwanazi clarified that he was not approached by the party, but that the EFF mentioned that there was a space for him, but never contacted him specifically.
Other stories from the committee hearings
Briefly News reported that there have been many notable moments during the eagerly anticipated Ad Hoc Committee hearings.
The hearings had to be paused after Malema rose on a point of order regarding the KZN police commissioner's statement.
The MK Party’s David Skosana accused the legal team of embarrassing the Ad Hoc Committee.
Mkhwanazi alleged that State money was used to build a wall around Nathi Mthethwa’s house.
Source: Briefly News
