Paul O’Sullivan Names General Mkhwanazi in Alleged Murder Plot Against Him, South Africans React
- Paul O’Sullivan has reportedly left South Africa with his family, claiming that there's a State-sanctioned plot to murder him
- The forensic investigator also believes that Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is inciting violence against him
- South Africans took to social media to weigh in on O'Sullivan's claims ahead of his scheduled testimony before Parliament
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, 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.
GAUTENG – Paul O’Sullivan believes that there is a state-sanctioned plot to murder him if he attempts to testify before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee.
O’Sullivan is one of the people scheduled to appear before the committee, which is probing allegations of political interference and corruption within the criminal justice system.
The forensic investigator has asked to testify virtually, something that Members of Parliament resolved would not be allowed to happen. Julius Malema was one of the Parliamentarians who were very vocal about O'Sullivan appearing in person.
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Why does O’Sullivan want to testify virtually?
In a series of emails between himself, Parliament and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), O’Sullivan said that he moved his family out of South Africa because there was a plot to murder him. O’Sullivan reportedly has citizenship in three countries and is allegedly back in the United Kingdom.
He also used Marius van der Merwe’s murder as a reason why he feared for his life. Van der Merwe was murdered outside his home in Brakpan, less than a month after he testified anonymously at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
“I think the murder of ‘Witness D’ stands as a stark reminder that the crooked police in our society are willing to go to any lengths to prevent themselves from being exposed and sent to prison,” he wrote in one email.
He explained that his life was also in danger because he was preparing to expose corrupt cops.
Source: Getty Images
O’Sullivan claims Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is out to get him
The forensic investigator also claimed that Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was inciting violence against him.
He stated that in October 2025, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commission said the ‘country must not sit back and be run by Mr Paul O’Sullivan’, adding that if the government failed to act, citizens would have to take it upon themselves ‘to do something drastic about it’. O’Sullivan believed that this was a direct threat, accusing General Mkhwanazi of inciting violence against him.
“What Mkhwanazi really meant is that he knows I am aware of the crimes he has been committing, and he wants the people of South Africa to take me out,” O’Sullivan claimed.
He added that there was no doubt in his mind that General Mkhwanazi and others were part of a sophisticated criminal enterprise. He also alleged that the only reason Parliamentarians wanted him to testify in person was so that he could be murdered.
“For your committee to focus only on whether I am there in person gives me an indication that someone on your committee is conspiring with Mkhwanazi to have me in the right place at the right time to be murdered,” he claimed.
How did South Africans react?
Social media users weighed in on O’Sullivan’s claims, saying he only fled because he was scared that he would be arrested.
Masobela Shimane Thabang said:
“Ai, we are in a joke state. How was he allowed to board a plane?”
Michael Phakathi exclaimed:
“Hawu, I didn't even know that he had fled SA.”
Bongani Mnguni claimed:
“He ran away from Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.”
Nkosij Jay recalled:
“That guy from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party said that Paul would be assisted to flee.”
Palesa Mpalo Buthelezi stated:
“Hebanna, he must come and face the music. Akere, he's been singing.”
Tshepo Ramotswatlhaba exclaimed:
“No, no, no. He really needs to come back and testify.”
General Mkhwanazi sues O’Sullivan for R5 million
Briefly News reported that KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, General Mkhwanazi, took legal action against O'Sullivan.
General Mkhwanazi sued the renowned forensic investigator over his claims on various media platforms.
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Netizens applauded Mkhwanazi for standing up to O'Sullivan, while others predicted that O'Sullivan might escape accountability.
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Source: Briefly News
