There is nothing Mkhwanazi knows that the President doesn’t — Mashele

Political commentator Prince Mashele has said that there is “no way” that the intelligence Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi based his allegations on was unknown to the President.

Mashele was previously the Executive Director of The Centre for Politics and Research and headed the Crime, Justice and Politics Programme at the Institute for Security Studies.

“I have worked in government myself. The President is client number one of our intelligence services. The President is supposed to get intelligence briefings every morning,” Mashele said on the SMWX podcast.

“Before he begins his morning, he is supposed to be told what is happening in the country. So there is nothing Mkhwanazi knows that Cyril Ramaphosa does not know. In fact, the President knows more.”

These statements follow a press briefing by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Mkhwanazi, at which he made several allegations that a criminal syndicate has captured South Africa’s law enforcement and intelligence structures.

Ramaphosa was in Brazil at the time, attending a BRICS summit. Upon his return, he addressed the nation about how the executive would deal with Mkhwanazi’s claims.

“These allegations call for an urgent and comprehensive investigation. To address these allegations and their implications, I am establishing a judicial commission of enquiry,” the President said.

Among Mkhwanzi’s allegations was that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu had colluded with criminals, including tenderpreneur and murder-accused Vusi “Cat” Matlala, to disband the Political Killings Task Team in KwaZulu-Natal.

Mchunu denied these allegations, but was placed on a special leave of absence pending the investigation. Ramaphosa announced that law professor Firoz Cachalia would replace him.

“This decisive action reaffirms the President’s commitment to the rule of law,” the ANC said in a statement.

“It is a clear demonstration of the seriousness with which the President and government respond to allegations of corruption and criminal conduct, regardless of who is involved.”

The fact that Mchunu was suspended but not removed from his position sparked widespread criticism across South Africa, with the MK party even challenging the decision in the Constitutional Court.

“The president cannot assign the powers or functions of Minister Mchunu to a non-member of cabinet. The appointment of Cachalia is ultra vires the Constitution,” the MK party argued.

Ramaphosa responded to this criticism after Cachalia was sworn in, saying that the issue of two ministers would soon be resolved.

However, Mashele believes that the President did not step up and lead the country when he could have by taking decisive action against Mchunu and removing him from office.

Mchunu, Mogotsi, and Matlala

During his briefing in early July, Mkhwanzi named Brown Mogotsi as the point of contact between Matlala and Mchunu, claiming he had seen proof of communications and financial transactions between the three.

While little is known about him, Mogotsi is believed to own several businesses in the North West Province, and most recently claimed to be a police informant who assisted in Thabo Bester’s arrest.

Mkhwanazi also alleged that Mogotsi told Matlala that the Political Killings Task Team would be disbanded while the police unit was investigating Matlala.

As argued by Mashele, this should be no surprise to the President if he was aware of the intelligence on which Mkhwanazi based his allegations.

Mogotsi has appeared on the SABC and 5FM since Mkhwanazi made the explosive allegations. However, is yet to refute them.

A recent investigation by the Daily Maverick points to a connection between Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to succeed Jacob Zuma as the president of the ANC in 2017 and Mogotsi.

According to the Sunday Times, Mogotsi led a pro-Ramaphosa lobby group that publicly encouraged the then-deputy President to step down should Zuma not endorse him.

Similarly, reporting by the Daily Maverick a year later labelled Mogotsi as a “known Ramaphosa campaigner” in the North West – something the Ramaphosa camp has distanced itself from.

Mashele points out that Mchunu was Ramaphosa’s campaign manager for KZN during this same campaign.

To add to the controversy, Mchunu has repeatedly altered his statements about his relationship with Mogotsi.

First, he told Parliament in March that he was not associated with Mogotsi, only to respond to Mkhwanzi’s allegations by saying that Mogotsi is merely “a comrade” and one of his associates, according to the Daily Maverick.

As a result, the Democratic Alliance filed criminal charges against Mchunu for allegedly lying to Parliament.

“It is simply unacceptable for a sitting Minister to evade accountability while surrounded by allegations of corruption, links to criminal syndicates, and efforts to shield politically connected individuals from scrutiny,” said DA MP Baxolile Nodada.

Then, in a statement made in response to the MK party’s challenge of Ramaphosa’s appointment of Cachalia and his suspension a few weeks later, he said, “he had interacted with Mogotsi since 2017, in the presence of other comrades.”

The ANC did not respond to queries from Newsday by time of publication.

A costly investigation

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into Mkhwanazi’s allegations is expected to cost the country R148 million over the course of the six months it takes place.

The commission has been instructed to investigate whether criminal syndicates have infiltrated or exerted influence over institutions within the police and justice portfolios.

When announcing the judicial commission of inquiry, Ramaphosa said it has been instructed to produce the first interim report after three months and the second after six.

The President appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyisile Madlanga to lead the commission, supported by Advocate Sesi Baloyi Senior Counsel (SC) and Advocate Sandile Khumalo SC.

Madlanga has since announced that Dr Peter Goss will be the commission’s chief investigator, and legal heavyweight Advocate Terry Motau SC will be its chief evidence leader.