Illustrative image | Senzo Mchunu. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images) | Fikile Mbalula. (Photo: Sharon Seretlo / Gallo Images) 
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu will continue attending parliamentary meetings and doing party work despite being placed on special leave by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
As an ordinary MP, Mchunu will continue to enjoy several benefits, including a monthly salary of about R100,000 and free flights.
On Tuesday, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said that Mchunu remained an ordinary MP and would continue executing his duties as a senior member of the ANC. He is a member of various structures in the party, including the National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making body in between conferences, and the National Working Committee (NWC).
Mchunu did not attend the party’s most recent NWC meeting on Monday, 14 June. Mbalula said it dealt with crucial issues, but Mchunu’s was not among them.
“Comrade Senzo is a member of the NWC. He’s a member of the NEC. There’s no curtailment on those roads. We, in fact, expected him to attend the meeting yesterday, and he gave me an apology, and I told him that I need to sit down with him, that this absence of leave, we are not affected by it as the ANC.
“His absence of leave is in relation to his point of deployment. So we will straighten up issues. He will come to meetings. He must execute his task as a leader of the ANC,” said Mbalula.
Allegations of serious misconduct
Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on immediate leave of absence after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged serious misconduct on the part of Mchunu, including disbanding a specialised task team investigating political killings.
Regarding media reports that Mchunu had been summoned to appear before the ANC’s Integrity Commission, which deals with offences and conduct that tarnish the image or integrity of the party, Mbalula said this was “disinformation” as Mchunu had yet to appear.
“There has not been any decision arrived at on this matter. Until comrades appear before the Integrity Commission, as and when they appear, the Integrity Commission will deal with the matters.”
The commission, led by veteran anti-apartheid activist the Rev Frank Chikane, has been criticised for being toothless as it only makes recommendations on how disciplinary matters should be handled, while the final say lies with the NEC.
Mkhwanazi made astounding accusations about fellow police officers and other state officials, including that:
- A high-level criminal syndicate in South Africa extends into the South African Police Service (SAPS), the police ministry, Parliament, official prison structures, the judiciary and other law-enforcing authorities;
- A drug cartel headquartered in Gauteng controls that syndicate;
- At the end of last year, Mchunu issued a directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team to shield politically connected members of a criminal syndicate from prosecution; and
- Mchunu was in cahoots with organised crime accused Vusi “Cat” Matlala.
Mchunu denied the accusations.
Commission of inquiry
On Sunday, Ramaphosa announced the creation of a judicial commission of inquiry into Mkhwanazi’s allegations. While its terms of reference have not yet been made public, he said it would investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates.
The ANC rallied behind the establishment of the commission, saying it was a sustainable path for rebuilding public institutions.
Mbalula said Ramaphosa’s “approach is not driven by the need for applause but by the imperative of transformation and accountability within the bounds of legality.
“The African National Congress stands resolute in defence of constitutional governance. We reaffirm our support for the commission of inquiry, for the president’s leadership and for all lawful and transparent processes aimed at restoring the integrity of the state. In the end, the strength of our democracy will be judged not by the absence of a crisis but by how we respond to it.”
The NEC was due to meet this coming weekend to discuss a range of issues, including the fragile Government of National Unity, preparations for the party’s national general council, and the SA Communist Party contesting elections independently.
However, Mbalula said the meeting had been postponed.
In the meantime, the NWC will engage with party regions in the Western Cape on Saturday, followed by a meeting with the provincial executive on Sunday. DM