Senzo Mchunu Denies Allegations of an Attempt to Implicate Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
- Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu responded to allegations made against him at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry
- Lieutenant Colonel Deena Govender alleged he was approached by someone close to Mchunu to implicate General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
- Colonel Govender claimed that Mchunu wanted him to blame the KwaZulu-Natal Police Commission for shootings in the province
- Mchunu's spokesperson, Sithembiso Mshengu, provided a copy of the minister's statement regarding the allegations to Briefly News
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG - Senzo Mchunu has denied allegations made by Lieutenant Colonel Deenadayalan "Deena" Govender before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Colonel Govender, attached to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) Serious Organised Crime Unit, alleged that he was pressured to implicate Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in wrongdoing.
Colonel Govender appeared before the Commission on 21 August 2026 and alleged that he had been approached by a man named Mavuso Ntandani, whom he described as being close to the Minister of Police, who is on special leave. Govender told the commission that the individual instructed him to look out for himself and lie that the KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner had ordered police shootings.
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Colonel Govender made the allegations during his testimony regarding alleged extrajudicial killings and ‘staged’ police shootings carried out by specialised South African Police Service (SAPS) units in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), most notably the April 2023 killing of Bevan Loftus.
Minister Mchunu rejects the allegations
Responding to the allegations, Mchunu said he had noted Govender's claims and categorically rejected them. In his statement, provided to Briefly News by his spokesperson, Sithembiso Mshengu, the minister said the allegation was made without supporting evidence and was intended to portray him as someone seeking to interfere with the commission's work.
"The allegation is made without any evidence, and I reject it with the contempt it deserves. The dropping of my name by this witness is designed to portray me as someone who is interfering with the work of the commission," Mchunu said.
The minister added that he respects the commission and believes it should not be derailed by what he termed opportunistic allegations. He indicated that a more comprehensive statement addressing recent allegations would be released in due course.
Mchunu's salary costs taxpayers millions
Briefly News reported that South African taxpayers have had to fork out millions for the salaries of two Ministers of Police.
Mchunu was placed on special leave in July 2025, and Professor Firoz Cachalia was appointed as the acting minister.
South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the costs associated with having acting officials in various sectors.
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Source: Briefly News
