President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the disbanded political killings task team in KwaZulu-Natal, saying it did “tremendous work,” before its closure.Image: IOL Graphics
Mkhwanazi vs the System: Why Julius Malema Wants Him Promoted Nationally
You can’t put out a wildfire with a whisper. Not in KZN. Not when over 100 political murder cases are being buried under "administrative reshuffling." And certainly not when South Africa’s top cop in the province is being silenced.
Yet, that’s exactly what Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says is happening.
And Julius Malema? He’s not having it.
"We can’t afford to lose Mkhwanazi," the EFF commander-in-chief told reporters on Friday, blasting the ANC-led government's decision to dismantle the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team — a unit that, according to Mkhwanazi, had unearthed corruption so deep, it shook the pillars of both politics and policing.
Malema wants him promoted.
The KZN police commissioner had publicly accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of deliberately disbanding the task team, which handled 612 cases and secured over 100 convictions related to political killings since its formation in 2018. At least 121 active murder dockets were locked away, redirected, and, as Mkhwanazi suggests, ultimately shelved.
And in classic Malema fashion, he went all in.
“KZN is too small for Mkhwanazi. He must be deployed nationally,” Malema declared, proposing that the seasoned police commissioner be moved to the Western Cape, where gang violence and drug cartels — allegedly protected by the Democratic Alliance — have turned neighborhoods into warzones.
But the story doesn’t end with Malema's firebrand speech.
In a dramatic twist, President Cyril Ramaphosa doubled down during a recent executive meeting in the Northern Cape, claiming the task team had done "tremendous work" and that the allegations raised by Mkhwanazi would be handled by a newly established judicial commission headed by Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
Yet the commission, expected to produce its first report in three months, may already be compromised — at least in the eyes of the Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), which has filed a no-confidence motion against Ramaphosa for placing Mchunu on "special leave" instead of firing him outright.
The MK Party has now taken the matter to the Constitutional Court, demanding an urgent parliamentary session within two weeks to debate the president’s handling of the situation, the legality of the leave, and the appointment of Professor Firoz Cachalia as acting Police Minister.
Back in December 2024, Mchunu had written to National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, declaring the KZN task team had "outlived its usefulness." Masemola denied authorizing the shutdown.
Then came the allegations of sinister backroom deals. Mkhwanazi alleged that politically connected individuals were feeding information to corrupt officials. He cited links between top politicians, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and business moguls — including Mchunu’s so-called “comrade,” Brown Mogotsi, and businessman Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, who landed and later lost a R360 million SAPS contract.
To Malema, this isn’t just a scandal — it’s a ticking time bomb. One he wants to defuse personally.
“I want to chair the parliamentary ad hoc committee. I want to sort out this issue myself,” he said.
The National Assembly has since adopted the EFF's motion to establish that committee, giving it 90 days to probe the corruption allegations — a deadline Malema scoffed at.
“That’s not enough time. Members must be prepared to work weekends. This police crisis is an emergency,” he stressed.
Malema also took aim at commissions of inquiry in general, warning that they’re often used to "buy time" rather than produce results. “Look at the Zondo Commission,” he said. “It was long, expensive, and by the end of it, we forgot what the Guptas even looked like.”
He called Cachalia’s role as acting police minister a joke, saying, “He doesn’t know what we’re dealing with on the ground.”
So where does this leave Mkhwanazi?
With his contract ending soon, Malema is urging him to reapply — not just to hold onto the position, but to “keep the conversation alive.” The concern is that once he's out, everything — the dockets, the investigations, the accusations — gets buried.
“This is not about agreeing with Mkhwanazi,” Malema said. “It’s about protecting a man who dared to expose the rot. For that, he deserves our protection.”
Meanwhile, ordinary South Africans are watching in disbelief — some praying for justice, others simply asking why it took this long to call out what many suspected all along: that there's a cartel operating inside the police force, and it’s more protected than the people it's meant to serve.
If even a commissioner can’t speak out without being sidelined, what chance does the average citizen have?
Ramaphosa may want to wait for his judicial commission to do its work — but Mkhwanazi, Malema, and now the MK Party are all saying the same thing in different ways:
Time’s up.
This is not just a battle over one man’s promotion — it's a fight for the integrity of policing in South Africa.
Read also: Nomcebo Zikode slapped with R1.5 million legal bill over Jerusalema battle
What's your take?
🔴 Should Mkhwanazi be made National Police Commissioner?
🟡 Is the disbandment of the task team a political cover-up?
🟢 Can Ramaphosa’s commission actually fix this?
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Malema calls for Mkhwanazi’s promotion amid political killings cover-up. Ramaphosa sets up inquiry, but MK Party wants him out. Real-time SA political crisis update.
As the political killings task team is disbanded, Julius Malema demands national deployment for Mkhwanazi. Ramaphosa sets up inquiry as MK Party rebels.
Sources:
~BILLY JAYDEN LOUIS
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