South African police minister Senzo Mchunu suspended
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, suspended his police minister, Senzo Mchunu, in response to recent allegations of corruption made against the minister.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of colluding with a criminal syndicate and interfering in high-profile investigations.
“These allegations, if proven true, threaten to undermine the confidence of South Africans in the ability of the South African Police Service to protect them and to effectively fight crime and corruption,” Ramaphosa said during a state of the nation address.
Ramaphosa appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia, a former MEC and legal scholar, as the acting police minister while Mchunu is on leave.
The president also says a judicial commission of inquiry is looking into Mkhwanazi’s accusations. The commission is expected to deliver an interim report within three months and a final report within 12 months.
In a statement posted on X, Mchunu said he welcomes Ramaphosa’s decision and says he is ready to fully cooperate with the commission of inquiry to clear his name.
