Ndlozi Questions General Mkhwanazi's Role in National Crime Strategy

• Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has criticised the decision to not promote General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as acting national police commissioner
• Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's role in the fight against organised crime is deemed crucial by Ndlozi
• Ndlozi warned that undermining Mkhwanazi risks public safety and governance in South Africa

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has criticised the decision not to appoint KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as acting national police commissioner, arguing that the public is being misled.

Mkhwanazi should be promoted to acting national commissioner

According to The Citizen, Ndlozi said Mkhwanazi should be elevated to acting national commissioner instead of being given what he described as an undefined national crime-fighting role. He questioned the move, saying authorities should not "neutralise" public concern through unclear appointments. His comments follow the announcement that Mkhwanazi will lead a national project targeting organised crime while remaining KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner.

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General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says criminals will fund the new National Organised Task Team

Ndlozi has also previously called for Mkhwanazi to be protected, warning that weakening his role would undermine efforts to expose alleged links between organised crime, politicians and senior police officials. He said attempts to frame the situation as a personality or factional dispute were misguided, adding that such narratives distract from what he described as a broader effort to confront criminal networks embedded within law enforcement and political structures. Ndlozi warned that failure to support Mkhwanazi's efforts could have serious consequences, arguing that the country risks becoming ungovernable if organised crime is not decisively tackled.

Other stories about General Mkhwanazi

KwaZulu-Natal's top cop, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, is preparing to share his crime-fighting passion with the rest of the country as he will launch a nationwide project. According to Dasen Thathiah, Mkhwanazi's crime-fighting project will focus on organised crime in all forms nationwide. Mkhwanazi assured the province that the new task will not remove him from his role.

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General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to lead a national crime-fighting project

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said that the National Organised Task Team he is set to lead will be funded by criminals. He spoke in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 17 April 2026, where Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson handed over a forensic lab. The Criminal Assets Recovery Account will fund the task team. Mkhwanazi will also form his own team based on an estimated budget of R1 million, which will operate in a model similar to the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). The Provincial Commissioner will vet and select members from across the country.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said in Parliament on 18 March 2026 that the entire South African Police Service (SAPS) Vetting Unit is corrupt. Mkhwanazi appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee, where he also testified about Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s allegedly corrupt relationship with the head of the Kgosi Mampuru II prison. The KZN top cop discussed what he called the corruption of the Vetting Unit, saying that the office was dirty.

Source: Briefly News