Khumbudzo Ntshavheni Rejects Claims General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Is Protecting Zulu-Speaking Criminals
- Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni addressed allegations made against Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
- Ntshavheni also clarified that General Mkhwanazi no longer holds the position of KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner
- The Minister made the comments as the government addressed the recent violent scenes which played out in Durban
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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 — Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has dismissed allegations that Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is shielding Zulu-speaking criminals in KwaZulu-Natal, stating that the claims are factually incorrect.
Ntshavheni addressed the matter during a post-cabinet and Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) media briefing on Sunday, 11 October 2026, responding to questions that suggested KZN police were operating under Mkhwanazi's command with a bias towards protecting certain groups.
The government briefing was held in Pretoria to specifically address the recent Constitutional Court judgment on asylum seekers, violent protests, and allegations of police bias
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General Mkhwanazi's current role clarified
The minister was also direct in setting the record straight about General Mkhwanazi's current role amid the allegations that he was protecting KZN criminals.
"General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is not in his substantive position as Provincial Commissioner of Police. He's acting as a Lieutenant General responsible for organised crime nationally. In KZN, there is an acting provincial commissioner."
Ntshavheni stressed that casting aspersions against a named individual on the basis of an incorrect premise was unfair, and that the clarification was necessary given the serious nature of the allegation.
The allegations surfaced following widespread violence in Durban after a Home Affairs directive. Tensions escalated sharply on 8 October 2026, after an alleged assault on a South African protester. The unrest spread to include the torching of approximately 14 vehicles in Durban as well as the looting of foreign-owned businesses.
Twenty-five people were apprehended in KZN, with Ntshavheni attributing those arrests to the National Joint Intelligence Operations, commonly known as NATJOINTS.
"If you are saying that the allegation is that there is a protection of criminals, we need to indicate that the National Joint Intelligence Operations arrest a majority of people in KZN for criminal activities," she said.
Home Affairs officials probed over foreigners entering SA
In a related article, General Mkhwanazi announced that police are investigating senior Home Affairs officials over the entry of foreign nationals into South Africa.
Briefly News reported that the comments followed unrest in Durban that left vehicles burned and shops looted following a Home Affairs directive.
The violence erupted near the Refugee Reception Centre after protests over asylum applications, and similar unrest was reported in Soweto.
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Source: Briefly News
