Colonel Govender Says Audio Recordings Back Allegation That Mchunu Asked Him to Implicate Mkhwanazi

• Lieutenant Colonel Deendadayalan Govender returned to testify before the Madlanaga Commission of Inquiry
• The senior KwaZulu-Natal Hawks officer weighed in on Senzo Mchunu's response to the allegations against him
• Colonel Govender previously claimed that the Minister of Police wanted him to implicate Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi

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 - Lieutenant Colonel Deendadayalan "Deena" Govender told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that an audio recording he submitted to the Commission would confirm the truth of his claims regarding a phone call with Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on 20 August.

Colonel Govender, a senior KwaZulu-Natal Hawks officer who heads the provincial cash-in-transit task team, said he was personally hurt by a statement issued by Mchunu's spokesperson, which accused him of fabricating the account of that call. Mchunu has publicly denied the allegations made against him.

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Colonel Govender previously claimed that Mchunu wanted him to implicate Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in extrajudicial killings.

Govender stands by his account of the phone call

Testifying before the Commission on 31 August 2026, Colonel Govender maintained that the recording he provided would settle the dispute once it was played. He said that during the phone call, Mchunu asked him if he loved the country and suggested that he not let anyone ruin the country.

Govender alleged that, during a meeting with Mavuso Nthandane, Mchunu was contacted by phone and urged him to attribute responsibility for 172 police shootings to KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, General Mkhwanazi.

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.

Source: Briefly News