Parliamentarians Grill Senzo Mchunu Over Failure To Produce Evidence of Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s Threats
- Senzo Mchunu was questioned by Parliamentarians during his third day of appearing before the Ad Hoc Committee
- The Minister of Police faced tough questions about his allegations against Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
- Mchunu claimed that the KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner threatened him following his letter to disband the Political Killings Task Team
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 – Senzo Mchunu has been grilled over his allegations that Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made threats against him.
The Minister of Police claimed that he had evidence of the threats made towards him by the KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner following his letter to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). Mchunu claimed that Mkhwanazi made the threats during a conversation with his chief of staff, Cedric Nkabinde, which was recorded.
Mchunu made the allegation during his appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on Friday, 17 October 2025, but could still not produce the evidence by Tuesday, 21 October 2025.
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Parliamentarians are unhappy with Mchunu’s inability to produce evidence
During his testimony on 17 October, Mchunu played a recording from Mkhwanazi’s conversation, but it contained no evidence of a threat. Mchunu then promised to bring the recording on 21 October when he resumed testimony, but failed to do so.
Julius Malema first grilled Mchunu about the recording, saying that it needed to be put on record that the minister didn’t have the audio and therefore it didn’t exist.
The Ad Hoc Committee Chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, then said the hearings would proceed under the premise that the evidence was not presented before the committee, to which Mchunu agreed.
If Mchunu thought that was the end of the questions about the recording, he was sadly mistaken. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s David Skosana also raised the issue of the audio, asking the minister if Mkhwanazi threatened him.
Mchunu changed his tune to say that he felt threatened, but actually didn’t receive a threat.
He also explained that he didn’t hear the recording but was told by Nkabinde what was said by the KZN Police Commissioner. Skosana then asked if he agreed that in the recording Parliamentarians listened to, there was no point at which Mkhwanazi threatened him.
Mchunu then claimed that the threat was made in an earlier conversation between Mkhwanazi and Nkabinde, which he thought was recorded.
Source: Getty Images
The matter was raised again later in proceedings when the Democratic Alliance’s Glynnis Breytenbach asked about the existence of the recording. It led to some members debating whether the minister should retract his statement about the threats or his claims that he had evidence.
What you need to know about Mchunu’s testimony before Parliament
- Mchunu said the PKTT was never part of the South African Police Service’s organogram.
- The minister cited violence on the Cape Flats as one reason for disbanding the PKTT.
- Mchunu said he was concerned that Brown Mogotsi had access to the PKTT disbandment letter.
- The police minister took full responsibility for the letter disbanding the task team.
- Skosana trolled Mchunu over his ties to Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi criticises the Ad Hoc Committee
Briefly News reported that Mbuyiseni Ndlozi criticised Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee.
Ndlozi was not happy with the way members handled Mchunu's evidence against Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Some social media users agreed with Ndlozi's criticism, while others noted that Mchunu's testimony wasn't over.
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Source: Briefly News
