{"id":8873,"date":"2025-07-10T06:27:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T04:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/?post_type=articles&p=8873"},"modified":"2025-07-23T03:32:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T01:32:27","slug":"da-files-criminal-charges-against-police-minister","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/articles\/da-files-criminal-charges-against-police-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"DA Files Criminal Charges against Police Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

Johannesburg \u2013 9 July 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Democratic Alliance (DA)<\/strong> has announced its intention to file criminal charges against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu<\/strong> following explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DA spokesperson Lisa Schickerling confirmed that the charges would be officially laid on Thursday. The party cited Mkhwanazi\u2019s recent press briefing, during which he accused Minister Mchunu of interfering with criminal investigations and allegedly colluding with criminal syndicates.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are not ordinary allegations,\u201d said Schickerling. \u201cThey go to the heart of public trust in our law enforcement agencies. If true, they represent a catastrophic breach of Minister Mchunu\u2019s oath of office.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The move comes days after Lt Gen Mkhwanazi publicly accused Mchunu of disbanding a key task team investigating political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, and of instructing SAPS leadership to halt over 120 politically sensitive case files. He claimed to possess evidence in the form of communications and internal documentation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Minister Mchunu has since dismissed the allegations as \u201cunfounded and politically motivated,\u201d denying any wrongdoing. He maintains that his actions as minister have always been in line with legal processes and SAPS operational protocols.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Parliament has responded swiftly. Speaker Thoko Didiza has referred the matter to three committees\u2014Police, Justice and Correctional Services, and Intelligence\u2014for urgent investigation. One of the committees will hold its proceedings behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of the allegations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Calls for accountability have grown louder, with several opposition parties\u2014including the IFP, ATM, GOOD, EFF, and Build One SA\u2014urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to take decisive action. Meanwhile, the South African Human Rights Commission has called for an independent inquiry into the matter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DA leader John Steenhuisen also weighed in, stating that Parliament has a duty to protect whistleblowers and ensure that those in power are held accountable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMkhwanazi\u2019s claims are serious, specific, and actionable. They deserve more than political deflection\u2014they demand legal scrutiny,\u201d said Steenhuisen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The criminal complaint set to be filed by the DA is expected to include charges of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As public pressure mounts and investigations begin, Minister Mchunu\u2019s political future hangs in the balance. President Ramaphosa, currently abroad, is expected to address the matter upon his return.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Johannesburg \u2013 9 July 2025 The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced its intention to file […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8874,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"article":[],"class_list":["post-8873","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/8873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.munghanalonenefm.co.za\/munghanalonenefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article?post=8873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}